


. Mm 



mmis^mm 



W"- 






-mmmmmw-"'' 



■iiv";'l*. 




Book . ^g- .E^L- 
GoipghtN°___ 



COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT 




J. LORAN ELLIS 



....Th- 



STORY OF NEVIN 



An Historical Narrative 



OF.... 



The Eariy Days 



..OF THE.... 



New England Colony of Iowa 



.BY... 



.J».LoPAN. Elli^' 



COPYRIGHT, 1901, BY J. LORAN ELLIS 



THE LIBRARY OF 

CONGRESS, 
Two Copies Received 

AUG. 10 1901 

Copyright entry 

y^M IQ. Ip f 

CLASS^ XXc. No. 
COPY B. 



A 



\v 



PREFACE. 

The writer of this short Story of Nevin has herein 
presented an account of facts and events occurring in the 
attempt to estabHsh in Iowa a new "Boston", together with 
brief biographic notes of the most prominent actors. 

The sources of information have been his own pri- 
vate journals, largely supplemented from the memories of 
himself and his wife ; also from the memories and records of 
other survivors of the old colony. 

For its preparation, he has no apology to make. The 
work was undertaken at the suggestion of a few remaining 
friends and pioneers of the place; and, although attended 
with considerable labor, it has been a pleasant diversion. 

It is dedicated to the entertainment and use of the de- 
scendants of those early day settlers, as well as to others 
who are interested in reminiscences of the beginnings of 
the New England Colony of Iowa. J. L. E. 

Dewey Lawn, May, 1901. 



THE STORY OF NEVIN. 



Chapter I, 1855-1856. 



THE PARSON'S VACATION. 

During the middle fifties, the pubHc interest in the 
question of the extension or non-extension of slavery to the 
Kansas country was intense. Emigration there from the 
east was rushing indeed. Rev. Edwin H. Nevin, the pas- 
tor of the Congregational (orthodox) church at Walpole, 
Mass., a few miles from Boston, having a desire to look in 
on the opening territories just beyond the Missouri river, 
took the occasion of his summer vacation in 1855, to visit 
that region. His trip westward was by way of Cleveland, 
crossing the Mississippi on a steam ferry, to Burlington. 
Then by mail hack he continued his journey to Afton. 
From Afton he was a passenger on Wm. Lock's mail rig, 
that ran weekly tO' Adair and Lewis postoffices. The route 
by way of the "Mormon trail," passed the northern limits of 
the later-on, Nevin lands, two miles away. From 
Lewis he went on by the four-horse Concord coach 
line running from the Mississippi to the Missouri. 
Upon getting tO' Nebraska, the Dr. inspected an 
Indian mission school at Bellevue; and then 
he visited the new settlements in Kansas, as well as some 
of the scenes of the conflicts in the territory, where the 
overwhelming numbers of the "free staters" finally, later 
on, secured the new state to freedom. 

Dr. Nevin returned to his Walpole parish in due 
season, filled with delight and enthusiasm from his summer 
outing. He was especially impressed with the native wealth 
of western Iowa's never-ending rolling divides, then so lux- 
uriantly covered with waving grass in a sea of green, and 
dotted with flowers of every hue; all tossing their radiant 
greetings to him in the gentle summer breezes. He ac- 
tually imagined that all nature was saying to him, "Come 
and settle the land! Come and build a city! Come and plant 
a new Garden of Eden! Come! Come! !" 



6 THE STORY OF NEVIN. 

LAND SPECULATIONS. 

An early-day writer sayS: "The speculation-in-land 
spirit was rife in these early years; this was especially so 
amongst the Boston capitalists. The desire to accumulate 
riches speedily, induced many of them to invest largely in 
western lands; and then some of them, to lay out big towns, 
and town additions; more particularly was this last named 
speculation indulged in, in Iowa and southern Minnesota. 
They even built air-castles and 'paper cities,' selling the 
lots long before they themselves had seen the lands or had 
obtained land titles." Another writer says in reference to 
the times: "Cities were built (upon paper), railroads trav- 
ersed the county (in prospect). But alas for the hopes of 
the imaginary owners; not a trace of even the ruins of 
cities, or of railroads, can at present, (i860,) be seen. What 
the excavations of some future day may reveal, we cannot 
predict; but it is certain that if the cities themselves are 
not buried deeper than the ruins of Pompeii, the hopes of 
the founders are buried so deep that the sound of no res- 
urrection trumpet will ever reach them." 

Soon after Mr. Nevin's return to Massauchusetts, a 
business meeting was held at the office of Harris, Cowles 
& Co., stock and money brokers, at Nos. 9 and 11 Kilby 
street, Boston, to consider the question of planting a colony 
of New England people on the open prairies of southwest- 
ern Iowa, as suggested by the Rev. gentleman, who was 
present. Among the business men present was Mr. Ros- 
well W. Turner, a mortgage broker, who resided at New- 
ton, Mass., and Mr. Richard B. Smith, of West Roxbury; 
the junior member of the firm of Harris, Cowles & Co. 
His father, Alvin Smith, the financial support of the son in 
the future venture of the colony, was also present. 

The men named, accepted and agreed to the proposi- 
tion of Dr. Nevin. The scheme was: That Mr. Turner 
and Mr. R. B. Smith should each furnish one-half of the 
money needed to float and manage the intended specula- 
tion. Dr. Nevin's name was to be given to the place, and he 
was to give the project his moral support, but was to put 
no money in the concern. It was understood that Mr. Nevin 
was to receive a present of a i6o-acre lot in the colony 
lands when located. 

Mr. Turner was supposed to be manager-in-chief, 
though on the surface he and Mr. Smith were equal. The 
men planned to buy land warrants to the amount of twenty- 
five sections, if they could be had for about one dollar per 



THE STORY OF NEVIN. 7 

acre. Ex-Mexican soldiers U. S. government land war- 
rants were then on the market for sale. With the war- 
rants, they expected in due time to locate land for the 
colony, in the land offices at Chariton and at Coimcil 
Blufifs. 

The men soon after, commenced buying their needed 
land warrants, wherever they could be had at a satisfactory 
price. But for some reason they stopped buying for them- 
selves, when they had but about sixteen sections. They 
now turned their attention to a plan of laying out the land 
into lots and streets, on a big scale; developing a town or 
city four or more miles square. There were to be 160-acre 
lots on the outer margin of the tract; some 40-acre lots in- 
side next to the i6o's; then, lo-acre lots; inside of which 
would be a large number of 2 1-2 acre lots; and a common, 
or public square in the centre. 

In September, Turner and Smith employed one Solo- 
mon Brown as their agent to help boom the enterprise, 
and to visit Maine, where he formerly had lived, and to do 
other needed field work. This Mr. Brown was a retired 
Maine farmer, then living at Walpole, Mass., with his two 
old-maid daughters as housekeepers. He was a deacon in 
Dr. Nevin's church, and was also the dispenser, or retail- 
selling agent of the town, for spirituous liquors to be used 
for mechanical, medicinal and sacramental purposes, under 
state laws. In October, or thereabout, Mr. Brown went to 
Gorham, Maine, where he formerly lived, and to Portland; 
where he had advertising notices printed in poster-bill 
form. These bills he posted along the coast towns, all the 
way from "way down east" to Boston. Later, in the early 
winter, he posted more at Walpole, and perhaps at other 
towns. 

The following is a copy of one of Mr. Brown's adver- 
tisements posted at Walpole, in December, 1855: 

"NEW ENGLAND 

COLONY 

OF IOWA. 

The subscriber is now receiving names of applicants for 
this colony, of those who wish to become — Actual Settlers — 
in this healthy, fertile section of country; and the object of 
this colony is to have a settlement of entirely New England 
people to settle down together 

ON 16,000 ACRES OF LAND! ! 

more or less in a square, as shown by a plot by the Agent; 
of lots of 160 acres, of 40 acres, of 10 acres and of 2 1-2 



8 THE STORY OF NEVIN. 

acres, with a large common or public grounds in the centre. 
We want mechanics of every trade, school teachers, phy- 
sicians, ministers. Sabbath school teachers, and anyone 
wishing tO' do good, to get good, and to make themselves 
and their families independent, are invited to go. 

"The Agent will be at Walpole through January, 1856, 
where he will give all information in regard to the Colony. 
Those wishing to become members of the Colony are re- 
quested to call as soon as possible, as it is fast filling up. 
"SOLOMON BROWN, Agent." 

During the late winter and the early spring, the Colony 
project was advertised in the weekly "Boston Recorder," 
then the leading paper for Sunday reading amongst the 
Congregationalists of New England. During April adver- 
tisements appeared also ■ in the Boston dailies. We will 
here give a copy of one clipped from the Boston Traveller 
of April, just after Mr. Brown and his company had started 
for western Iowa: 

"NEW ENGLAND COLONY OF IOWA. 

"This Colony consisting of persons from the New Eng- 
land states is located in the southern part of Adair, and in 
the northeastern part of Adams counties, in the town of 
Nevin. It lies near to two railroads, is well watered. Some 
farms and lots are yet offered for sale at a very low price 
in order that they may be put within the reach of actual set- 
tlers as early as possible. Farms three dollars per acre, 
half in advance, and balance in two years. A school house 
and hotel are to be put up immediately. Emigrants who 
wish good society and Christian privileges will do well to 
secure homes in this Colony. The prices of lots and con- 
ditions of sale can be learned from Solomon Brown, Esq., 
on the ground, or Rev. E. H. Nevin, care of Harris, Cowles 
& Co. Nos. 9 and 11 Kilby St., Boston. 

Tu. Th. S. 4w. April 24. 

There were other advertisements in the Boston Re- 
corder later on in 1856. See pages later on. 



GETTING THE LAND. 

Going back to the events of the first of March, Messrs. 
Turner and Smith started from Boston about March i, 
1856, with their sixteen or more sections of land warrants, 
to locate the land. They had ascertained that the largest 
body of unentered land in southwestern Iowa, was to be 




■^^ 



COLOMY 



The snbscribcr Is now receiving names of appll* 
rants for this Colony, of those who wish to become 

ACTUAL SBTT&ERS 

111 this healthy, fertile section of eountrj i and the 
object of this Colony is toliare a settlement of entire- 
ly New England people to settle down together 

lis 16,000 ACBES OF lAND ! ! 

Wore or less in a square, as shown by ^ pfot by the 
Agent, of lots of 1«0 acre's, of 40 acres, of »»»"•«« 
and of a 1-a acres, with a hirge COWMOl^ or Public 
Grounds in the centre. 

We wui.t Me. lianic of every trade, 8el)»ol Teachers. Physicians. Ministe^, S.b- 
bath School Teachers, and anj( one wishing Ip do good, to get 
good, and to make theniatJlvea and their families In- 
dependent, artlnrited to go. / , 

The Agent will be at ^^M^ ^^^^ Z^*^^^'^'^ wh^re 

he will gif/*! information in reg«rd> this Colony. '•'''»?^/i''''"Mf^^,*'fr* 
men,l.er. o he Colony are requested \ call as soo» a. JH.—We. as .t is fast filling 




SOLOMON BROWN, Agent 



*u«l« • by>I.'a<»k ud iob r^n. M • 101 mdiU. mint. »<>rtl»*. 




Reduced facsimile of advertisement posted at Walpole in December, 1855. 



THE STORY OF NEVIN. 9 

found in the northeast township of Adams county and in 
the edge of Adair county adjoining on the north. So, they 
had decided to locate their land warrants on this land, and 
in a square form as near as practicable. Adams county was 
then in the Chariton land district, and Adair was in the 
Council Bluffs district. The men arrived at Chariton, where 
about half the warrants were located in the name of R. W. 
Turner, on March loth; then going on to Council Bluffs, 
they there entered the balance, most all in the name of R. B. 
Smith, though one or two tracts were in the name of Mr. 
Turner. This was on March 12th and 13th. 

There were some tracts of land within the limits of 
their proposed four miles square that had been entered by 
others previously: 320 acres in section 2, 160 acres in sec- 
tion II, and 120 acres in section 10; all in Twp. 73 of R. 
32, Adams county. And 240 acres in section 35, 40 acres 
in section 26 (the northwest corner), and 40 acres in section 
2^; all in Twp. 74 of R. 32, Adair county. Consequently 
their 16 1-4 sections of land warrants covered about 960 
acres of land outside of the four mile square area. 

The men made a superficial inspection of their new 
lands; but, as it was yet early in March, they could not see 
in the base, brown surface of the country, all the enchanting 
views that Dr. Nevin had seen seven months previous; but 
doubtless they in their imagination, had bright visions, as 
they pictured these dark, bleak ranges; transformed into 
great fields of waving wheat and golden corn; peopled with 
hosts of live Yankees in their new and happy homes in the 
"El Dorado" of the west. 



PLANNING THE CITY. 

Turner and Smith having returned from Iowa, now 
directed their attention to the starting of a party west as 
soon as possible. Arrangements were made to have a 
meeting at Harris, Cowles & Co.'s Boston ofBce, on the 
15th of April, of those proposing to settle in the new 
colony at once, and also of all who wished to secure choice 
of lots at that time, expecting at some future time to settle 
there. 

Messrs. Turner and Smith had previously fixed upon 
the price of lots and terms of payment, as follows: i6o-acre 
lots were $3 per acre; 40-acre lots, $5 per acre; lo-acre lots, 
$10 per acre, and 2 1-2 acre lots were $50 each; half cash, 
and half on two years' time, at 10 per cent annual interest, 
secured by mortgage of the tracts sold. 



10 THE STORY OF NEVIN. 

At this 15th of April meeting and sale seventeen per- 
sons bought each a 2 1-2 acre lot, as shown by Turner and 
Smith on their plan of laying out and numbering lots. A 
few paid cash in full, but the most of them availed them- 
selves of the terms of credit. 

A peculiarity of these first deeds was that the descrip- 
tion said, "in a town to be called Nevin," instead of saying, 
in the town of Nevin. 

Mr. James McDougall, one of the lot buyers at this 
first sale, thinking there was some risk in waiting; in order 
to secure a i6o-acre lot before they were all gone, bought 
a quarter section lot, a 40-acre lot and a lo-acre lot, thus 
making sure of not being obliged to return because he 
could get no land; and most effectively preventing his re- 
turn, should he ever desire to do so. In this, he exhibited 
the courage of even a Cortez himself when larlding in 
Mexico. There were several others who bought 160-acre 
lots at this sale, who were not planning to go west at pres- 
ent. Mr. John Jewett and several others of this first outgo- 
ing party also wanted farm lots, but they deferred the par- 
ticular selection of them until after they had seen the place. 

Most of those who bought at this sale, sent their deeds 
by the hand of Mr. Solomon Brown, together with fifty 
cents to each deed to pay for their recording. But the town 
of Nevin not having been yet laid out, Mr. Brown left the 
deeds with Mr. Chapman, the Adair county recorder, who 
kept his office then in his log dwelling at "Chapmans" grove, 
about 31-2 miles south of the county seat; then Fontanelle, 
but formerly Sunmierset. Mr. Brown, however, retained 
the half dollars, which he never accounted for to the right- 
ful owners to this dav. 



A JOURNEY WEST. 



On Wednesday the i6th day of April, 1856, a party 
consisting of the following named men left Boston for the 
"promised land": James P. Jordan, carpenter, and James 
McDougall. farmer, both married and both from Gorham; 
James Thomas, painter, he also from Gorham; John Jewett, 
farmer, married, from Whitefield; J. P. Moore, from Gardi- 
ner, and Alden B. Smith, single, ship-carpenter from Litch- 
field; all of Maine. 

These six prospective settlers, attended by Solomon 
Brown, the agent of Turner and Smith the land proprie- 
tors, journeying by way of a fast through railroad train, 
soon left their native homes and Boston far in the rear. 



THE STORY OF NEVIN. n 

Before getting as far as Cleveland, Mr. Brown induced one 
Mr. J. Breen, whom he met on the train, to join them. 
They arrived safely at the Mississippi opposite Burlington, 
the end of the railroad. The ferry landed them in Burling- 
ton on Sunday, the 20th. Here they bought a two-horse 
team and needed stores, a keg of whisky, at the suggestion 
of Mr. Brown, was also bought for emergencies. 

The first day on the road they reached Mt. Pleasant, 
putting up for the night at a log house, where their bed was 
a pile of hay. The next day they arrived at Fairfield, where 
they met a Rev. Gates, whom Mr. Brown persuaded to go 
along, with the intention of becoming a fellow-settler in 
the proposed new Yankee town in southwestern Iowa. 

The party had good weather and fairly good roads till 
they got to "Myers" place, some 16 miles southeast from 
the Nevin lands, where recent rains had so raised the 
streams that they were compelled to tarry for one day. The 
following day leaving Myers, they reached a branch of the 
Little Platte, where they found the bridge was several feet 
under the moving water. They succeeded in crossing, how- 
ever, and at noon, the 8th day of May, they arrived at the 
house of Samuel Riggs, at what was called "Riggs's" grove. 
Finding that the Riggs house was full of previous arriv- 
als, they had to proceed on. On reaching the West Platte, 
near by, at a point on Union and Adams county line, 
nearly four miles south of the present Cromwell, 
they found it so high that fording was impossible. To add 
to their trouble, rain was now falling. 

After consultation, it was decided to build a tree- 
bridge. A narrow foot bridge was constructed by felling a 
large tree across the stream for a foundation, over which 
their baggage was carried by hand, among which was a 
heavy tool chest weighing some 200 pounds, a keg of nails, 
a grindstone, etc., to say nothing of the keg of whisky. 
They swam the horses across, floating and hauling the 
wagon over; loaded up again and then went on. 

About forty rods farther, they found a slough, which 
came near being the "slough of despond." as was Chris- 
tian's in "Pilgrim's Progress." Here they were obliged again 
to unload and carry their baggage over. Here, also, their 
provisions gave out. Being wearied and worn, the keg of 
whisky was now for the first time resorted to, and as the 
spirits in the keg decreased, the spirits in the men seemed to 
increase. 

Again they started, with renewed courage; and after 
repeatedly unloading, they arrived at the house of Mr. and 



12 THE STORY OF NEVIN. 

Mrs. Wm. Whipple, some eight miles south of Nevin vil- 
lage of today. No place was ever more welcome to its occu- 
pants than was the sight of this house to these weary emi- 
grants. Here they passed a comfortable night. This house 
was low and of but one story, three sides were built up of 
sod; the south side was boarded. There was no floor ex- 
cept boards under the beds. 

The day following most of the party proceeded on their 
way to find the town. They were accompanied by Mr. 
Whipple as guide; but Mr. McDougall, who was sick, and 
Mr. Thomas, who took charge of the team, were left be- 
hind at the house. Messrs. Gates and Brown had remained 
at Afton to rest. The "Nevin seekers" went northwest- 
erly until they struck a branch of the East Nodaway, at 
what was then "Harnett's grove." The banks were over- 
flowed and bottom lands nearly covered with water. They 
waded to the bank of the creek, then up stream until they 
came to a tree on the opposite bank that leaned over the 
stream. Here they felled a tree on their side, lodging it in 
the tree on the opposite bank. Their guide then returned 
to his home, and the party with their guns and axes crossed 
on the trees and waded ashore. 

At this time there was no house nearer than six miles 
to the Colony lands, and it was no wonder that the men 
took a wrong direction, as they did. After wandering al- 
most all day they came in sight of a log house in the edge 
of the Middle Nodaway timber, which proved to be that of 
Mr. Richard Davis, in the McCall neighborhood. Here the 
men were kindly received and were kept over night. In the 
morning Mr. Davis went out in company with them to the 
Colony lands, going as far as near where Mr. Nick Steele 
now lives. Mr. Davis then returned home and the trav- 
elers took a southwestern direction to a grove in sight. This 
grove was then called "Elliott's grove," later "Chamber- 
lain's grove." Here they decided to build themselves a cabin 
amongst its trees. 

That afternoon they went to Chapman's grove, in 
Adair county, to meet Messrs. Brown and Gates. 

The dwelling of the J. Chapman family, on the south 
slope of this fine hill-grove, was a small, one story log 
structure, with a board addition on the rear. At a later day 
the house disappeared, Mr. Chapman building on the open 
land west of the stream (Middle Nodaway). The stream at 
this place had the best gravelly bed crossing that was to be 
found on the stream within miles. Here was where the 
Mormon emigration of some previous years had crossed in 



THE STORY OF NEVIN. 13 

coming west from "Pisgah" in Union county; where some 
of them had tarried and farmed several years before resum- 
ing their journey to Council Bluffs and Plattsmouth, and 
later to the Salt Lake valley in Utah. 

On the top of this Chapman's grove hill just at the edge 
of the trees, and alongside of their trail, was a small grave- 
yard with its rude enclosure, within which were a number of 
Mormon graves. (Many years ago Mr. John Bixby ex- 
hibited in Nevin certain skulls from these graves.) 

The next day after the arrival of the travelers was Sun- 
day. Rev. Gates preached to the company present at the 
Chapman house, he and Brown having arrived there from 
Afton a day or so before, by way of the Mormon trail route. 
The day being rainy all were willing to remain indoors 
and hear a religious sermon— the first ever preached in 
Adair county by a Congregational minister. 



TRIALS AND LABORS. ' 

On Monday morning, May 12th, the party from Bos- 
ton held a conference. They had completed their event- 
ful trip from Yankeedom to the new "wonder" of Nevm. 
The alluring stories of Turner and Smith — not to men- 
tion Nevin and Brown— had (in their views at least), been 
stripped of their tinsel and flowers of speech. The many 
trials and disappointments to which these men had even al- 
ready been subjected, discouraged them to that degree that 
they now thought to abandon the whole project and return 
east. But the entreaties and promises of Mr. Brown finally 
prevailed and they were persuaded to remain, by the prom- 
ise of one hundred dollars each. (Probably Turner and 
Smith did, later on, allow a credit of that sum each m mak- 
ing payments on lots that they bought.) ^ 

So the Colony party retured during the day to Elliott s 
grove taking along some raw pork and corn bread for their 
dinner. What was left after eating they put in the forks of 
a tree for future needs. Here they proceedea to build 
them a cabin. They first felled a tall tree down the incline 
of the hill, with the butt-end remaining on the top of the 
high stump, and lodging the tree top in between two diverg- 
ing trees, to hold it in place. This tree body thus formed the 
top of the opening to the cabin, from the warmer south side. 
They then built their rude hut against this cross-tree, using 
logs' old and new, forked stakes, etc. 

At night they returned to the Whipple place, where 
they had left their team some days previous. During that 



14 THE STORY OF NEVIN. 

evening Mrs. Whipple baked them a good pot of pork and 
beans. Messrs. Brown and Gates, who had that day vis- 
ited the Colony lands, also passed the night at the Whip- 
ple home. 

Next day Mr. Brown started back for Boston, and Rev. 
Gates, realizing that he was rather ahead of time for a 
Nevin church pulpit, returned to eastern Iowa, and the 
others with their team started for the grove cabin. The 
stream at the Barnett grove having gone down largely, they 
built a low bridge to cross on. They next came to a branch 
southeast of their camp where they swam their horses 
across; then, hitching a rope to the wagon tongue they 
hauled the loaded wagon over, or rather into, the stream, 
carried the contents of the wagon along the wagon tongue 
to the opposite bank, and then the wagon was hauled out 
and reloaded. They then drove to the cabin not far away. 
After eating from their pot of pork and beans, they finished 
the cabin, and slept therein that night. A somnific fiend 
would be excused for wondering what their dreams were as 
they slept. 

The fine black walnut and elm grove, where the party 
was now squatting, was owned by Mr. Josiah Elliott of 
Union county. Its location was on the southwest 1-4 of 
northwest 1-4 of section 15, township y^, range 32, Adams 
county. The trees have all long since disappeared. 

The following morning Mr. Jewett was sent with the 
team in quest of provisions. He crossed the stream to the 
west and drove northwest till he came to the Winterset to 
Quincy route of travel, then but little more than a trail. 
He followed this to the "Sprague" farm, within a mile or 
two of the present "Homan" Baptist church. Here he 
bought potatoes, corn, pork, meat, etc.. for their present 
needs. Before getting back to camp, he lost his way; but 
was finally heard and discovered by his camp-mates, in 
some hazel brush near camp crossing, and rescued. late in 
the evening. One wonders if that pot of pork and beans 
did meal duty all day at the cabin. 



TRYING TO FARM. 



Having now shelter and food supply, our New England 
friends found time to consider the prospective needs of the 
future. They decided to try their hands at agriculture; and, 
since they had no plow, "Brother" Jewett was sent to Win- 
terset for the needed implement. Finding none there, he 
continued his journey on to Des Moines, where he bought 



THE STORY OF NEVIN. 15 

a breaking plow, also a stove. While the team was gone to 
Winterset and Des Moines, the men left at camp happened 
to think of Turner and Brown's advertised "school-house." 
So they laid aside the hoe and mattock, and went to work 
felling trees, then hewing them to proper size and form for 
building purposes. Mr. Jordan and Mr. Smith, just from 
the wooded state of Maine, were very expert in handling the 
axe and the broad-axe and much progress was made for a 
while. 

Upon the return of Mr. Jewett the building project was 
dropped for the present, and the attention of the men was 
again turned to farming. They commenced to plow, or 
rather to break prairie, on the east side of 160-acre lots 
Nos. 26 and 2J (of 1857 plat). The north one was for 
Mr. Jewett and the other one for Mr. McDougall. They 
soon found that their pair of horses were unable lo do good 
breaking, then they were exchanged for work-oxen. The 
prairie-breaking now went on better. They bioke about 
twelve acres on farm 27, and six or eight acres on farm 26. 
They also did some breaking on 160-acre lot No. 42 for Mr. 
Jordan. This last was the farm next north of the McKeen 
farm. The other men of this first company did not, as yet, 
aspire to owning any big farm here. 

The colonists planted some of their breaking to com; 
some to potatoes, and some to garden truck. The season 
later on was rather dry for sod corn, moreover the seed corn 
proved defective, so they grew no corn. Their potatoe- 
planting, however, turned out fair; there was a half-wagon 
load dug in October by some one from "Hazel Green." 

As the summer advanced the prairies became too dry 
for further breaking and their farming for 1856 closed; ex- 
cept that along in July they mowed slough grass and put 
up about fifteen tons of hay in stack for winter feeding. 

Along in June, Messrs. Breen and Moore had con- 
cluded that they were too far west. They were completely 
discouraged and in their view the colony scheme was a com- 
plete failure. Accordingly they packed up and started off 
for the east. Those left behind bade them a sad farewell, 
and with longing eyes watched their receding forms till 
they were lost in the distance. And they scarcely knew why 
they themselves remained; for in their inmost hearts they 
envied those who were on their way home. They, by hard 
effort, however, stuck to their purpose to keep at work 
where thev were. 



i6 THE STORY OF NEVIN. 

BUILDING A SCHOOL HOUSE. 

The farming being now about over, the men once more 
turned attention to the building of the school house. The 
hewn timbers for the frame were finished and hauled to 
Nevin lands. They decided to have it erected on the south- 
east corner of section 3, at a point about five rods north 
from the corner. (It will appear that the west half of sec- 
tion 2 was not at this time owned by Turner and Smith). 
This site was the southeast part of lo-acre lot No. 105, 
as developed in the 1857 plat of Nevin. The school house 
was to stand about sixty-five rods west of the present Mrs. 
Nancy Jewett's dwelling. The bottom and wall frame was 
put up and boarded in, except an opening at the south end. 
The lumber used had been hauled from the Johnson water 
power saw-mill, on the west branch of the Middle Nodaway, 
twelve miles northwest. In order to have a shelter therein 
while some shingles were being made, the men put loose 
timbers or poles across from plate to plate, and covered 
them with slough grass to keep the rain out; and then they 
moved in. The building was about 16x24 feet in size. 
They had laid a floor in the north part, where they placed 
their stove and sleeping appliances. "Here," says an early 
writer, "we have a clue as to the character of the first set- 
tlers — the school house first; even before they had pro- 
vided houses for their families, they took care to provide 
for the instruction of their children. Noble men! worthy 
descendants of the Pilgrim Fathers." 

Bystander, however, while giving all credit to their 
good intentions, and to their persistent stick-to-it-ness un- 
der unusual difficulties, cynically suggests that the building 
was called a school house, because Turner and Smith had 
agreed to build one, and had so advertised in the Boston 
papers. Now they could say to credulous inquirers that a 
school house was already built in Nevin. 

About this time the men were gladdened by the com- 
ing into their midst of Messrs. Calvin Jordan and Daniel 
L. Smith, from the east, brothers of our colonists Jordan 
and Smith. Their stay, however, was rather short; they 
were unmarried and having no children of their own to be 
educated in the new school house, they lost interest in the 
place. Mr. Smith remained awhile with his brother, and 
then abandoning a village lot he had bought from Turner 
and Smith of Boston, he went to Winterset and taught 
school there a term or more, after which he went back to 
his Maine home. Mr. Calvin Jordan returned east that fall. 
Neither of them ever came back. The Smith brothers 



THE STORY OF NEVIN. 17 

have left no record of their saw-mill building in the west, 
as reported in Massachusetts, that they were going to do. 



A THUNDER STORM. 

The colonists in their new school house home, were 
surprised on the night of July 4th, 1857, by a violent thun- 
der, wind and rain storm. The frail shell of a building 
yielded to its terrific force. The sleeping inmates were 
aroused as the thing came tumbling down. Those nearest 
the opening made a quick and easy exit. Not so, however, 
with those in the farther end; Messrs. Thomas and Smith 
escaped with slight injuries but Mr. Jewett (who had tarried 
to put on his coat and boots) was a little late in start- 
ing. Just before he reached the door he fell across a tool- 
chest, and was held fast to it by the falling roof, in such a 
way that he was wholly unable to free himself. The others 
released him, but he was unable to stand and it was soon 
found that he was badly injured. There was no physician 
to be had. It was dark; they could not see a thing. It 
blew so hard that one man could not stand alone. Yet there 
thev were obliged to stay until morning, holding their dis- 
abled comrade. 

As soon as it was light they cleared the ruins from the 
stove and tool-chest to get matches. The stove was found 
to be broken; but they managed to set it up outside, and 
cooked some needed food. 

Again they rallied and built a cabin from the ruins of 
the structure, in which they could sleep, doing their cook- 
ing: out of doors. 



NEW ARRIVALS. 



On July 2ist Mr. Charles E. Austin, with his wife, 
Amanda, and their daughter Alartha, also their nephew, 
Joseph Ballon, arrived on the grounds with their two teams, 
one drawn with oxen, the other with horses. They came 
from Illinois, to which state they two years before had emi- 
grated from Berkshire county, ^lass. 

Mr. and Mrs. Austin, it appeared, had noticed in their 
religious paper, the "Boston Recorder," during April and 
May, verv florid statements of the proposed New England 
Colony of Iowa. They were attracted thereby, thinking 
that the idea was just the thing for them. So, Mr. Austin 
by correspondence with Dr. Nevin and Mr. Turner, bought 

2 



i8 THE STORY OF NEVIN. 

i6o-acre lot No. 5, of the 1856 plan of the town, made prep- 
aration and then drove overland to the much boomed 
place. They of course on arrival were greatly disap- 
pointed as to Nevin and its unimproved condition. Coming 
as they did, in July, through eastern Iowa with its line soil 
and promising crops, the outlook was quite encouraging to 
them. They decided that the state was naturally fine for 
farming, all right. Mr. Austin, therefore, was not dis- 
mayed by their situation. They were now here to stay. 

Someone, remarking to the Austins in explanation of 
those alluring advertisements that they had read, said_, 
that "the hotel and school house were, it is true, not as de- 
scribed in the Recorder, but growing — where the Almighty 
planted them; that the railroad that was 'under contract' 
had not yet gotten above it, and was likely- to remain 'un- 
der' for some time to come; and that the two railroads that 
were to pass near, have been eagerly looked for, but have 
not been seen to 'pass' since then." 

To some, personally, it had been stated in Boston, 
that fifty families w^ere already on the ground. 

It may be remarked here that Mrs. Austin and daugh- 
ter, Martha, were the first white women that ever set foot 
on Nevin lands. 

The Austins remained encamped a week or so, while 
looking around to find a wintering place. Then they went 
to near the "Dunlap" farm at what was locally called "Hazel 
Green," where Mr. Austin built them a rude cabin to live 
in over winter and until Nevin should be laid out into lots. 

The pluck of the Austins, seemed at first to stimulate 
the colonists at the school house ruins cabin, to try for 
something better in which they might winter also. They 
went to the "South" grove, a mile or more to the east from 
Elliott's grove, where they felled trees and hewed the logs 
on two sides, with which to build them a log house. These 
logs were then hauled across the stream, to near a spring 
some forty rods westward from the latter-day Hunter — Mc- 
Kercher house, on the northwestern part of section 14. 
The stimulation, however, did not last the fast disappearing 
colonists very long; for the present writer discovered those 
logs, scattered around the place, still un-laid-up in April 
following. 



DISCOURAGEMENTS. 

The Colony men in 1856, patronized the "Adair" post- 
office in part, and the Fontanelle oflfice in part. Each were 



THE STORY OF NEVIN. 19 

at least ten miles away. The former, which was the oldest 
established office in Adair county, was kept by Mr. John- 
son, in his log house near his water power saw-mill. It was 
supplied from Afton; the carrier passing three miles north 
of the Colony camp. 

The inconvenience the men experienced in their mail 
facilities, induced them in June, to ask the department for 
an office in their midst, and that their J. P. Jordan be the 
postmaster. But their request was not granted. Another 
discouragement was that Mr. Jewett, so much needed in 
the place, was still lame from the 4th of July accident, and 
unable to work, and withall was half sick. Believing that 
it was best for him to leave, he on July 27th, started east, 
for his home in Maine. At this time they were almost out 
of food — for several days living on "johnny-cake" and 
water. When Mr. Jewett left they divided with him, giving 
him half — which was a piece as large as one's hand. (This 
he kept in his pocket until he reached his home.) With no 
other food provision than this, he started on his long return 
journey, sick at heart, and expecting to walk to the rail- 
road terminus, then at Mt. Pleasant. But fortunately, af- 
ter going a few miles, he found a chance to ride to Afton, 
and then on homeward where he arrived safely. 

Soon after Mr. Jewett had left the colony band, the 
redoutable Mr. Solomon Brown again came, just from 
Boston, to bring assurance to the desponding settlers, and 
to see about having the Nevin land surveyed and laid out 
into lots, as had been proposed and promised by Turner 
and Smith, for months past. 



SURVEYING THE LAND. 

About the middle of August, Mr. Browu secured 
County Surveyor "Graham," from Quincy, whO' surveyed the 
entire Colony lands, and set the proper stakes indicating the 
quarter section corners, or the 160-acre lot corners; as well 
as 40-acre subdivisions inside of the 1856 plan of 160-acre 
lots. The lo-acre, 2 1-2 acre, and public ground lots, shown 
on that plan, were not corner staked. These smaller lot 
corners were not established, from the reason that the way 
the plan had been drawn by Turner and Smith, these small 
sized lots and the public grounds would be put on rough 
and small-slough land. The present expectation was that 
the proprietors would decide to make a new plan, or plat, 
locating the smaller lots and common on the better land, 
about 240 rods south and 120 rods east of the 1856 centre. 



20 THE STORY OF NEVIN. 

The native grass in the sloughs and ravines was high 
and abundant, making the finding of the old government 
survey corners and stakes quite difficult in many places; 
and many stakes were down, missing, or burned. The sur- 
veying job of Mr. Graham was quite badly done; some of 
the government corners were found, but more were not 
found; and so, consequently, some of the new corners were 
afterwards found to be quite astray. 

This 1856 plan had fifty-four lots of 160 acres each; 
twenty-eight lots of 40 acres; 108 lots of 10 acres, and 140 
lots of 2 1-2 acres each; with a 10 acre tract in the centre 
(on the county line) for a common or public ground. The 
whole formed a square, four miles on a side; with one ex- 
tra 160-acre lot on the south out-side; three extra 160-acre 
lots on the west out-side, and two extra 160-acre lots on the 
north out-side, borders. 

The portion of Nevin lands in Adair county was about 
half a section greater than the Adams county portion. 

Soon after the survey, Mr. Solomon Brown — "Agent" 
went back east. He never came to Nevin again. 



COLONISTS SCATTERED. 

The Nevin colonists of 1856, remaining on the ground 
during the survey, soon after left Nevin lands entirely; or, 
at least, for the winter. Mr. McDougall went to Mr. Whip- 
ple's to live; Mr. Jordan took the team and their cabin 
things and the tools of the party, going to Hazel Green to 
hunt business, Mr. Thomas, the teamster, went there with 
him. Mr. Alden B. Smith, the broad-axe man, w^ent to Fon- 
tanelle, where he a year or two later built himself a house. 
Later in life he removed to Winterset and was in business 
there with Mr. Ballard, once of Fontanelle. :\Ir. Smith 
died there — so did Mr. Ballard, later on. 



PRAIRIE FIRES. 



The prairie grass of 1856, dried quite early m the fall. 
On October nth, the prairie fires, driven with a strong 
wind from the southwest, swept over the abandoned 
lands of Nevin, and the surrounding country. The first 
wave of fire licked up the leavings of the scattered settlers; 
the stacks of hay, the camp in the grove and the most of 
the school house cabin, all went up. 



THE STORY OF NEVIN. 



Chapter II, 1856-1857. 



BUILDING SAW-MILLS. 

As early as June, 1856, Turner and Smith realized that 
a saw-mill in the Nodaway timber, northwest of ttieir Nevin 
lands, was the one thing needed to secure a permanent set- 
tlement of their lands. So, they induced Mr. Daniel L. 
Smith to go west and join his brother Alden, for the purpose 
of building the needed mill. But evidently they changed 
their mind on the subject, soon after. 

Again in September Turner and Smith had a spell of 
special interest in the saw-mill business. At this time there 
lived at Walpole, a Mr. Joseph L. Ellis, a farmer, unmar- 
ried. He was a member of Dr. Nevin's congregation and 
Sunday school. He, for several years, had aspired to be 
the owner of a western farm, at some not distant future time. 
This Nova Scotia born descendant of Plymouth Colony an- 
cestors, was induced by Messrs. Nevin, Turner and Smith to 
decide that, now was his opportunity to heed Horace 
Greeley's advice: "Go west young man and grow up with 
the country." And so he, incidentally, accepted a mission 
from Turner and Smith to build a water-power saw-mill, 
in the timber on the Nodaway, near the farm of Joseph 
Dunlap. Here we have another example of misplaced con- 
fidence. Mr. Turner at his Boston ofihce had shown Mr. 
Ellis maps that showed the river with fine, large bodies of 
bordering timber; — black walnut, basswood, oak and elm — 
awaiting the hand of man to transform the stately trees in- 
to lumber worth $20 to $30 per thousand feet. Mr. Turner 
pointed out a lovely spot on which to erect a saw-mill, and 
said that the river at the point shown, had a fall of about 
eight feet. He assured Mr. Ellis that the owners of the tim- 
ber land would grant the mill site and water-power to any 
one who would build a mill there, for the anticipated bene- 
fit they would receive in having their logs sawed on the 
spot. Mr. Ellis, who had had some experience in water- 
power saw-milling, decided that if half of what Mr. Turner 
said were true, he wanted no better chance than this to 
make his everlasting pile. 



22 THE STORY OF NEVIN. 

It was agreed between Turner and Smith and Mr. Ellis, 
that each party should furnish half of the required capital to 
build the mill, Mr. ElHs to go west as soon as he could, 
so as to have time to build the mill before winter. He to 
expend his part of the cost, and then to draw on them for 
their part. Strange to say, neither party said anything 
about having the contract put in writing. 

Mr. Ellis first went to Nova Scotia to procure a mill- 
wright who would be willing to go west with him to build the 
mill for a fair portion of the expected profits of the venture. 
Not meeting with success there, he then went to near 
Salem, Mass., and having no success there either, he then 
started for western Iowa, all alone, on October 7th; trust- 
ing to being able to procure a mill-wright there, on some 
terms. 

His route west was by way of Suspension Bridge and 
Detroit, to the Mississippi. This (then) unbridged river 
was crossed on a steam flat bottomed barge to Burlington. 
From here, after two days tarrying, his journey was pur- 
sued westward, by the regular mail and passenger hack to 
Afton, where he stayed over night at Wm. Lock's log hotel, 
the "Rough and Ready." The next day he rode on Mr. 
Lock's two-mule buckboard mail rig, over the Mormon 
trail route (Pisgah to Lewis) as far as Joshua Chapman's 
grove; from there he walked in the afternoon to Hazel 
Green. 

When Mr. Ellis, on the 17th, arrived at his destina- 
tion, he discovered that there was no water-fall on the 
stream there, nor within miles of the place. So, he was 
"left" for sure, in his water-power mill project. In the 
mean time, the colony men at Hazel Green had not been 
idle; they had looked the place over, and had decided that 
a steam saw-mill was the proper thing to have. 

In this connection we will remark that Turner and 
Smith anticipating the needs of the prospective colony at 
Nevin, had a few months before this time, secured from the 
"Secors" of Johnson county, the owners of the timber 
land, an option to buy their 200 acres of land along the 
Nodaway, near HazeJ Green, at an average price of $7.50 
per acre. One forty of which took in the reputed eight feet 
water-fall, that our Walpole friend came west to find. 

A month or so before Mr. Ellis came here, Mr. Jor- 
dan and Mr. Austin, having arranged with Turner and 
Smith as to their timber land option, had embarked in the 



THE STORY OF NEVIN. 23 

steam saw-mill enterprise. The two men, accompanied by 
Mr. Dunlap and Mr. Thomas, with the needed teams had 
started for Burlington to procure the mill outfit. While 
there, Mr. Clark, an engineer from Maine, met them. Mr. 
Jordan having previously sent for him to come. 

About the last week in October, the mill arrived at the 
timber, and the men interested proceeded to "plant" it on 
the "water-fall" tract, and on the left side of the river, close 
by a pebbly and gravelly bar that extended across and 
down stream a rod or more. 

At this point in our narrative we pause to venture a 
Yankee's guess; that this pebbly, gravelly bed, crossing 
the stream, is the veritable eight feet waterfall, about which 
Mr. Turner "stuffed" Mr. Ellis in Boston before he came 
west. It may be that the measurement was intended to be 
made along the surface of the rippling water, and not verti- 
cally as in the usual manner. 

The work on the mill continued as the increasing cold 
of early winter permitted, till along in February, when they 
commenced to saw; and as the weather then moderated, 
lumber was forthcoming in abundance before April came 
in. 

The mill men boarded as best they could, some at the 
Dunlap home and some at the Cutler home, until they could 
saw boards at the mill; after which they built themselves a 
boarding cabin close by the mill. In the meantime they 
had to buy some lumber from the Johnson mill to build 
sheds to protect their work and the machinery from the 
snow. 

The Dunlap house, where Mr. Jordan and Mr. Thomas 
boarded before their Burlington trip, was a fair sized one 
story, one room, log structure. It had a shingled roof, a 
board floor, and a rock and mud chimney. There was a 
fire place at one end of the room; there were also doors on 
two opposite sides and two sash windows. Inside, the 
conveniences were quite crowded — especially when they 
had roomers. In one corner, opposite the fire place, was a 
low trundle bed for Mr. and Mrs. Dunlap and the two 
smaller children; in the other opposite corner was their son 
Charley's bed, shared by Mr. Thomas until October. This 
bed was rather short for a man, and was also quite narrow 
for two men. A cook stove was near the centre of the 
room, and a table was at one corner. As may be seen at 
a glance, there was scant room for boarders, or even lodg- 



24 THE STORY OF NEVIN. 

ers. The Dunlaps, however, were very accommodating 
when strangers came; doing their best to feed and sleep 
them. 

The afternoon that Mr. Ellis from Boston, came there, 
he met Mr. George S. Harris, of the firm of Harris, Cowles 
& Co., of Boston, who, on his way home from a business 
trip to Rochester, Minn., one of the then boom towns of 
that state, had called here to take in the situation of the 
colonists and the outlook of Nevin, so as to be able to re- 
port the matter to Turner and Smith. He had been at 
Hazel Green a day or two when Mr. Ellis came. 

Here at the Dunlap home both men had to find accom- 
modations. The good woman, of hospitable Irish blood, 
did her best to entertain them. Her larder had run very 
low while her Joseph, the Vermonter, was away to Burling- 
ton with the steam mill party. For supper that evening, 
the two big men from Boston had corn bread, some baked 
Canada peas, and a scrap of pork. The men were hungry 
as bears and you may believe they enjoyed their limited 
supper. When bed time came, the only place for Harris 
and Ellis was in with Charley in his small bed. The two 
newcomers retired first, one on either side of the bed, then 
Charley had to shove himself down in between them for the 
night. Soon Charley began to perspire profusely, and 
then to paw and squirm, and to try to get more room, 
but it was no manner of use; the two men had to lie as 
straight as bean poles, close to the edge of the bed, with their 
feet and shins extending at least eight inches down over 
the hard cross-piece of the foot of the bed. They had to 
turn over and back almost all the long night, trying to 
rest and get sleep. The next day the men went to Fonta- 
nelle. leaving Charley to share his bed with Mr. Thomas 
again, when he should come back from the Mississippi. 



AN ANTI-SLAVERY RECRUIT. 

Early in August, 1856, Mr. Fred C. Nichols, a carpen- 
ter, from Maiden, Mass., arrived at Fontanelle, to "spy 
out the land," both at Nevin and in eastern Kansas. Be- 
fore coming west, he had been a member of the local mili- 
tary company at Maiden. He had become interested in 
the Emigrant Aid Society of Boston, in its efiforts to people 
Kansas with Yankee men. He also had in the mean- 
time become that summer interested in the advertised pro- 



THE STORY OF NEVIN. 25 

ject of Turner and Smith, to colonize their Nevin lands 
with Yankee families. He decided to go west at once; buy- 
ing from Messrs. Turner and Smith, before leaving, 21-2 
acre lot No. 139, of the 1856 plan of Nevin, on the usual 
half cash, half credit terms. 

On his way west, Mr. Nichols fell in with some of the 
later followers of the notorious John Brown, who had gone 
west from Ohio passing through southwestern Iowa earlier, 
with his small cannon and cases of Sharp's rifles (labeled 
"Bibles"), to live or die for freedom in "bleeding" Kansas. 
Mr. Nichols tarried at Fontanelle a few days to take in the 
situation at Nevin, and then went on to the new territory 
of Kansas, where he remained till October, helping to form 
the "Topeka" constitution for the future state. 

Returning to Fontanelle, he decided to settle there, 
and soon bought an out-lot at the east border of the em- 
bryo village. During November and December he built 
a cottage on his lot, and, his wife soon came, when they 
established their western home. 

The present writer was on the street when, towards 
evening one day, Mr. Nichols drove into Fontanelle from 
his Kansas expedition. His rig was a one-horse rickety 
buggy, which seemed just able to do duty in bringing Mr. 
Nichols back from the "Sunflower" land. The horse was 
very lame in one fore-leg. It bore evidence of its having 
been to the "war" ; its upper lip and a large part of one ear 
had been shot off, and a wound in the leg almost crippled 
the poor beast, though the wiry broncho was still ambitious 
enough. 

This Mr. Nichols, or Captain Nichols as he was some- 
times called, was a fine specimen of Canadian-American 
military ofificialty, his physique was robust, and his bearing 
was kindly. 

After a few years of Iowa life, he sold his place, and 
later he entered the army, where he was doing good ser- 
vice in the territories when last heard from many years ago. 



THE GREAT SNOW-STORM. 

On the 2nd of December, 1856, occurred the greatest 
snow-storm and blizzard ever known within the memory of 
the oldest inhabitant. It had been snowing from the 
northeast without intermission, since the morning of the 



26 THE STORY OF NEVIN. 

preceding day. Towards night of the second day the storm 
attained its chmax. The snow came down fast and fine. 
The piercing cold wind blew a perfect gale, sending the 
snow fiying and swirling along in blinding fury. Cattle 
exposed to the storm, went off bellowing before the blast 
to the nearest timber — in some instances three or four 
miles from home. Stables, of poles and hay, were literally 
filled with snow. 

At Matthew Clark's stage station, one mile east of the 
later Greenfield, four stage horses were buried in their frail 
pole and hay stable, and had to be shoveled out next morn- 
ing. One horse was dead; the others were badly bruised, 
in their efforts to get away during the night. 

At Fontanelle, a party of seven men— Mr. Ballard, 
Mr. Ellis, and Mr. Clary among the number — in attempt- 
ing at about 4:45 p. m. to go from Mr. Ballard's sm.all 
store opposite the west end of the public square, diagonally 
northeasterly across the corner of the square, to Mr. James 
C. Gibb's log boarding house, some twenty or twenty-five 
rods distant, became lost. The fact that the wind had 
veered a little to the right during the three hours that 
they had been in the store, had not been noticed by them. 
So, after locking up the store for the night, they scampered 
ofif, running and laughing, and soon after shouting, for the 
Gibbs house. On they rushed until they thought they had 
gone far enough to be there. But no house was to be 
found — within sight or hearing — as they stood in doubt 
and called for a response from somebody. 

Then it dawned upon their minds that they were lost 
in a snow storm, upon the trackless prairie, with nothing 
to indicate just where they were. What to do, they knew 
not. Night with its terrible cold was fast coming on. The 
suspense was distracting. They knew that to sleep out of 
doors that night was certain death. 

After running frantically about here and there, they 
fortunately hit upon the liberty pole, which was about two- 
thirds of the distance from the store to the boarding house, 
and a few rods to the right of a direct course. This find 
allayed their excitement somewhat. 

An attempt was then made by Mr. Ellis and Mr. Bal- 
lard to rally the rest of the party to an organized efifort to 
find the house. The plan was: To form a line from the 
pole, each man to place himself just in sight of the next 
inner man, then the extended line of men to swing around 



THE STORY OF NEVIN. 27 

the pole as a centre, believing that the outer man by this 
method would come within sound of those at the house. 

In the meantime, two of the men in their impatience 
had broken away, made a run before the wind, and found 
the store, into which they dashed through the window, and 
where they remained over night. Those at the pole could 
not be held to carry out the swing-around-the-pole plan. 
Fortunately, however, just at this time, Mr. A. B. Smith, 
who was out from the hotel looking for another man (Mr. 
Valentine), happeneded to come within hearing of our five 
lost men, who then succeeded in finding the Gibb's house; 
into which they rushed, a thankful set of men. Their 
faces, heads and clothes cased in snow and ice, were soon 
relieved; some were minus hats or caps, that had blown 
away during the twenty or so, minutes that they were out. 

After getting warmed and dried, the whole party at 
the hotel ate their suppers. Late in the evening the four 
beds in the loft were brought down out of the snow, and 
were placed close side by side on the floor of the main 
room, before the warm stove. There all the men slept 
well and long, until the clear morning sun shone into the 
room, showing that the great snow-storm was over. 



MR. TURNER'S VISIT. 

On December 15th, Mr. R. W. Turner, from Boston, 
made his appearance at Fontanelle, and at the Hazel Green 
mill; his first trip to Iowa since the March previous. He is 
now on an urgent business mission, which seemed to be 
much heeded, in order to hold the few remaining colonists 
in the neighborhood, to the work of endeavoring to sur- 
vive the failures of 1856, and to encourage them in trying 
again, the coming year, to make settlement at the now va- 
cant Nevin. 

During his ten days' visit, he bought out the interest of 
Mr. Austin in the steam mill plant; and in company with 
Mr. ElHs and Mr. Jordan, visited the Nevin lands to look 
up a site for small lots and a central square. They finally 
decided that the proper place for such central lots was on 
the southwest quarter of section 2, township 73, range 32. 
It developed that Turner and Smith had in June, 1856, 
bought the "Carr and Quimby" land in Nevin. This con- 
sisted of the west half of said section 2, and the northwest 
quarter of section 11, in the same township, the purchase 



28 THE STORY OF NEVIN. 

price being $1,440 for the three quarter sections. The deed, 
however, was not recorded at Quincy till in January. 

1857- 

Having decided upon the new arrangement of lots, 
Mr. Turner then employed Mr. Ellis to draw the proposed 
new plan of the town, as soon as possible, and to forward 
his document to Boston for lithographing. 

Mr. Turner also agreed to build a store building on 
a certain named village lot in the 1857 Nevin, and employed 
Mr. Nichols to construct and finish it as soon as the first 
of June. Consideration $400. Mr. Turner, before return- 
ing east, bargained to Mr. Ellis 160-acre lot No. 46, and 
2 1-2 acre lot No. 125 in the 1857 plan of- Nevin; at the 
price of $480, half in five months and half in two years, 
less a credit of $100 on the first half. This $100 was al- 
lowed Mr. Ellis for damages he had sustained in the matter 
of the misrepresentations of Mr. Turner about the water- 
fall at the mill. Mr. Ellis, on his part agreed to build a 
small house, of given dimensions, on one of the bargained 
lots, within five months, and then to keep it as a boarding 
house, to accommodate the expected 1857 settlers, until 
they could build houses for themselves, or to board else- 
where. 

Soon after Mr. Turner (Dec. 26, 1856), returned to 
Boston, he and Mr. R. B. Smith completed the purchase of 
the Secor 200 acres of timber land, at the Hazel Green 
mill, for the previous agreed upon price of $1,500. 

By the close of 1856, Mr. Ellis had finished the plat of 
the 1857 Nevin, and had sent it to Mr. Turner. This plat 
left off the four forties lying south of the four mile square 
body of land. So, the new plan or plat contained only 
fifty-three lots of 160 acres each; twenty-three lots of forty 
acres each; 108 lots of ten acres each; and 128 lots of 2 1-2 
acres each. There were also fourteen blocks containmg 
21-2 acres each, each block being divided into smaller 
building or business lots. In the centre, there was an ob- 
long common, or public square, of five acres. All the 21-2 
acre lots, the block lots, and the common, were bordered 
with streets on two or four sides; the land for which was 
taken from the lots or sizes named. 



THE STORY OF NEVIN. 29 

WINTERING AT THE MILL. 

The new year, 1857, opened with cold weather and 
deep snow. The great snow-storm of December 2nd, pre- 
vious, was followed with almost continuous, solid winter 
for months. The work of setting up the saw-mill and get- 
ting things ready for future sawing, was continued by Mr. 
Jordan and his assistants as fast as the severe cold per- 
mitted. 

Mr. McDougall came from Mystic early in January and 
Mr. Ellis from Fontanelle about the same time. These 
two men were employed by Mr. Jordan to do the needed 
chopping and hauling of saw-logs to the mill from the dif- 
ferent 40's strung along by the river, comprising the mill 
timber. The logs from the two lower 40's were hauled to 
the mill along the surface of ice in the crooked stream, 
with oxen. Messrs. Jordan, Clark and Thomas were em- 
ployed, themselves, exclusively in and about the mill. 

One cold night, soon after the mill steamed up for the 
first time, the water in the steam chest froze and broke 
the "cooler," compelling the men to send to Des Moines 
for a new one. About the first week in February they be- 
gan to saw lumber, and then they soon had materials for 
building purposes; so they soon got a covering over the 
mill plant, and they built a boarding cabin close by where 
they lodged and boarded themselves from this on; Messrs. 
Ellis and McDougall, however, continued to lodge and eat 
at "Dunlap's" until spring. There being no women in the 
mill crowd, the men were compelled to do their own clothes 
washing, as well as their mending and sewing, or to go 
without. It was nearly a year later when Mr. S. Pierce and 
family came from Nevin to work at the mill, that they had 
a woman to cook for them. 

Aside from the mill men and the Austin and Dunlap 
families not far away, there were some settlers wintering in 
their homes in the rather more distant neighborhood. The 
two McCall families — James and John, — Mr. and Mrs. 
John Boyd, C. C. Cutler and family, Mr. Jack Cade and 
family, and Richard Davis and family, were occupying their 
log dwellings in the timber within two miles of the mill. 
There were a few scattering settlers along all the timbered 
streams, in both Adair and Adams counties. 

Previous to the summer and fall of 1857, the country 
outside of the stage stations and countv seats, afTorded the 



30 THE STORY OF NEVIN. 

settlers but few of what eastern people regarded as neces- 
saries of life. They had corn bread, pork, or bacon, and 
coffee, with a sack of wheat flour from Winterset, occasion- 
ally, to make hot biscuit for visitors, or on Sundays. 



A QUEER ACCIDENT. 

One day during the winter, a very singular accident 
happened at the mill. The men had been digging a broad 
dry well just between the mill and the river, and had gotten 
it to the depth of about twenty feet. Coming on a thick 
snowfall at noon, they laid poles over the well and covered 
them with slough hay to keep out the snow, and then went 
to their dinners. An hour or two later, some of the men 
returning, found that "Old Jerry," one of the mill oxen, 
had been along and had fallen into the well. There he 
was at the bottom, standing up eating the hay that he had 
taken down with him. But he was not permitted to remain 
there very long. The men all came to help. They took 
the main belt from the mill, attached it to him and to the 
windlass, and soon had him hoisted out. With the ex- 
ception of a few slight bruises, he was quite unhurt. 

This dry well at the river bank was designed to be 
filled with water from the running river, to furnish a reser- 
voir of water for the needs of the mill. The water was let 
in through a pipe set in the ground just below the surface, 
the well being filled at flush times of water. There was a 
low gravelly dam just below, placed there to raise the slack 
water above. 



A PIONEER'S CABIN. 

The shanty that Mr. Austin had built, in August, 1856, 
into which the family had moved at that time, was "squat- 
ted" near a few scattering trees on the edge of the prairie, 
nearly half a mile south of the present Dunlap-Hurlbut 
house. It was built of small logs, rather hastily put up. It 
was about 12x18 feet square, about 4 1-2 feet high on one 
side, and 6 3-4 feet on the opposite side. The roof was of 
boards (from Johnson's mill), put on leanto, or slanting 
one way. An opening w^as left in the logs at one south-end 
corner, about 3 feet wide and 5 high, for an entrance. There 
was no proper door, but instead, there was a square piece 
of carpeting nailed at one edge to the log above the open- 
ing and hanging down loose, to keep out cold and snow. 



THE STORY OF NEVIN. 31 

and which was pushed to one side on one's wishing to 
enter. There was no floor, other than some boards placed 
where they would do the most good. Carpets brought from 
the east with them, were fastened up under the roof boards 
to keep out cold, and to protect the stove and beds from 
filtering snow when the winds blew. Sods cut from the 
nearby prairie, were placed outside against the logs on 
three sides of the cabin, as high as the top logs. A cook 
stove at one side, having a pipe, was utilized in warming 
the room and in preparing the family food. 



LO! SPRING APPROACHES. 

During the wintery evening of February 13th, as the 
people in the vicinity of Hazel Green were retiring to rest 
for the night, they were agreeably surprised to see vivid 
flashes of lightning in the southwestern sky, followed by 
peals of thunder that awakened all. The land lay covered 
deep with the accumulated snows of the past ten and one- 
half weeks ; there had not been a thaw all winter. Now the 
men knew that there was going to be a change very soon. 
And there was; for the weather moderated right along 
from this time. 

By the 25th of the month, the rivers were bank full of 
water from the thawing snow. March 21st the water was 
still higher and two days later the rushing streams and 
floating ice carried ofif most, if not all, of the few bridges 
in the two counties. A week later still, the snow and ice 
were about gone, and the rivers all free. 

Mr. Austin, who, after the December sale of his mill 
interest, to Messrs. Turner and Smith, had been employed 
during good weather, in freighting provisions and other 
things from Winterset to Hazel Green; now turned his at- 
tention, as did Mr. Ellis, to having bills of lumber and 
frame sawed at the mill, now in operation. This lumber 
was for the dwellings that they planned to build this spring 
in Nevin. In the meantime they hewed the needed oak sills 
for their house frames. 

The spring opened quite rapidly. The snow-covered, 
sheltered places were soon devoid of frost. Mr. Joseph 
Dunlap was replowing his previous year's hazel-brush land 
breaking, east of his house, before March was entirely gone; 
but, by reason of a deficiency of hay for teams, settlers in 



32 THE STORY OF NEVIN. 

the vicinity generally did but little farming until after the 
grass grew. 

The extensive prairie fires of the previous autumn had 
burned much of the stacked hay, and the long, hard winter 
had used the most of the unburned hay. Consequently the 
teams were now thin in flesh, and were weak. There was 
absolutely no hay nor straw (of course there were no corn 
stalks) for cows or young cattle after the first of March. 
Such stock was, in some cases, driven oflf to browse from 
the branchletts of elm, linn and maple trees, felled for that 
purpose; to keep them from threatened starvation, until the 
sheltered wet ravines and sloughs should be made greenish 
with starting grass and early weeds; upon which they then 
could preserve life. 



SPRING DOINGS. 



Spring having arrived, Messrs. Austin and Ellis now 
commenced the hauling of their lumber and frame to build 
their houses in Nevin. Mr. Austin, who commenced first 
to haul, found no serious difficulty in reaching his newly 
selected farm (Mr. Turner had acceded to his wish, giving 
him 3-4 of 160-acre lot No. 7 in the 1857 Nevin plan, in ex- 
change for his former No. 5 in the 1856 plan). Having 
taken a more northerly route for his first load, he reached 
the stream at a small grove just northwest of his land. 
This stream he managed in some way to ford; later he 
placed a low slab-bridge at that point, for his convenience 
in teaming to his farm. 

Mr. Ellis, on the other hand, had no end of trouble in 
his first attempt to reach his small lot in the centre; per- 
haps because he was not so well posted in the habits of wet 
bottoms and sloughs of the west, as was his neighbor, who 
had lived in the west a year or two. Mr. Ellis on the morn- 
ing of April 4th, using the mill team, loaded in 600 feet 
of unseasoned linn boards and started out from the mill. 
Having to cross a small run, just out of the woods, he 
got stuck and had to unload half his lumber before the oxen 
could pull out. Then he had to pick up those boards, carry 
them by hand across, and reload his wagon. 

About a mile further on, in crossing a wet slough his 
team again was stalled, and he had to repeat the process 
of carrying a part of his load over the wet place and load- 
ing it on again on firmer ground. 



THE STORY OF NEVIN. 33 

Awhile after this he got badly floundered in trying to 
cross another slough, and this time he was obliged to 
throw off three-fourths of the load before the team would 
haul the wagon through to solid land. Then he carried over 
the surplus loading and loaded up once more. Having from 
this on a divide that he could follow, he drove on till he 
reached the bottom land bordering the stream that is about 
a mile west of the present day Nevin village. Essaying to 
drive on, he soon got his tired oxen as far as they could go, 
where the young man, without reserve, threw the whole 
600 feet off in a pile. Then he himself walked on to the 
bank of the stream to look for a low bridge that the colony 
men had placed there the summer previous, and was sup- 
posed to be there still. But there was no bridge, it having 
been burned or washed away, since the September previous. 

We tremble when we think of what might have hap- 
pened to our Yankee Nova Scotian, in case that that low 
bridge had been found there all right, and that he had tried 
to carry all that lumber by hand, across the wide bottoms 
on both sides of the stream, to firm ground beyond; then 
to have gotten his team across some way, loading up again 
and hauling it to his village lot; and after that to have re- 
turned to Hazel Green that night with the team alive. 
However, after viewing the unbridged river, he took the 
team and at once retraced his track homeward, where he 
arrived at about half past nine in the evening, about as 
tired as he ever was. 

Soon after this, Messrs. Ellis and Austin took loads of 
bridge material, drove out again, and built a temporary 
bridge across the stream, at a point about 60 rods north, or 
up stream, from the present day river bridge. 

The next load of house building lumber that Mr. Ellis 
took to Nevin lands, he had to leave standing near the old 
1856 school house site, while with the aid of a pocket com- 
pass, he paced off east and then north, to find out about 
where his building lot would be; finding that it was going to 
be badly cut up with small sloughs, he then and there se- 
lected a site on the east part of block I. where he unloaded, 
and where the house was eventually built. 

From this time, the prospects of Nevin improved right 
along, — lumber being abundant at the mill, and colonists in 
the vicinity being cheered by reports coming from the east 
that many new settlers might be expected here as soon as 

3 



34 THE STORY OF NEVIN. 

a house or two and store, were completed. The spring 
birds in the trees were singing and the frogs in the pools 
were croaking with joy. The green grass began to show in 
places. There was quite an abundance of prairie hens. The 
deer and wild turkey, so plentiful the year before, were 
now quite scarce, the severe winter evidently had driven 
them to a warmer climate. 



LAYING OUT THE TOWN. 

Early in April, the big lithograph maps of the new, or 
1857, plan of Nevin lots were received at Fontanelle, with 
orders from Turner and Smith to Messrs. Ellis and Nichols, 
to have the land run out as soon as possible, into lots and 
streets to accord with the new maps. 

On May 7th, Mr. D. W. Valentine, surveyor, from 
Fontanelle, finished his job of surveying and laying out the 
relocated central area of Nevin. The 360 acres relocated, 
was staked into 128 lots of 2 1-2 acres each, and 14 blocks 
of the same size, which were divided into smaller lots and 
alleys, with the common in the centre. The streets and lots 
as planned in December, and then drawn by Mr. Ellis, 
were retained and embraced in the maps used. 

The surveyor's work was inscribed on two of those 
big 28x30 inch lithograph maps, one of which was filed for 
record at Fontanelle, on May i8th, the other one was filed 
for record at Quincy, on May 20th, 1857. The doings of sur- 
veyor Graham in the 1856 survey were never put on the 
county records. But, the plats of Nevin with Surveyor Val- 
entine's survey notes, filed at Fontanelle August 17th, and 
at Quincy August 20th, 1857, were what gave validity to all 
Turner and Smith deeds 



THE STORY OF NEVIN. 35 



Chapter III, 1857. 



RE-ENFORCEMENTS. 

On April 13th, 1857, Mr. Joel F. Fales, of Walpole, 
Mass., arrived at the mill. He, like Mr. Ellis, was late a 
member of Dr. Nevin's congregation and Sunday school. 
He was the first emigrant from the east this year. His 
coming gave great cheer and comfort to those at the 
mill. 

Mr. Fales, before leaving Boston, had purchased a 
small lot in the new "town of the prairies," and on his way 
west had bought some apple and pear trees, thinking to 
set a part of his lot to fruit trees; and perhaps to start a 
small nursery, to be operated in connection, for a few 
years; or at least to spend his summers here; going back to 
devote his fall and winter time to his home business of 
manufacturing his patent-sewed carpet lining. 

The horticultural features of his plans, however, never 
materialized; his imported fruit trees were lifeless, or at 
least they never pushed out a bud, after being set out on 
his village lot; and the proposed nursery adjunct was 
abandoned by him after looking the situation over. 

Mr. Fales being an old acquaintance of Mr. Ellis, he 
went to board with him at the Dunlap home. 

Just twelve days afterwards, the colonists at the mill 
were greeted by three more recruits for Nevin: Mr. Briant 
O. Stephenson, of St. Johnsbury, Vermont, a traveling 
salesman in the west and south for the firm of Fairbanks 
& Co., scales, etc.; Mr. Metcalf D. Smith of Walpole, 
Mass., a farmer, and Mr. Charles C. Jones, a student, just 
from Cambridge, Mass. 

The two comers last named, on their way west, first 
met Mr. Stephenson at Burlington. The latter, who was on 
one of his business trips to Iowa, became quite interested 
in the statements of Smith and Jones — in regard to the 
New England colony scheme that they had accepted. 



36 THE STORY OF NEVIN. 

Mr, Stephenson's bodily health and strength were not 
over robust. He thought that perhaps a change of busi- 
ness would be good for him, and this colony project seemed 
just the proper thing. 

The three men, at Burlington, bought a two-horse 
team, packed their trunks into the wagon and started over- 
land for the Nevin colony, now at the mill. After getting 
half way across the state Mr. Smith got homesick, and 
wanted to return at once to the east, but his companions 
finally persuaded him to keep along with them, and they 
arrived safely, on Saturday evening. 

Mr. Stephenson has often since told of the meeting 
that evening between Mr. Smith and Mr. Ellis, and of the 
amusement it furnished the settlers in after years. "When 
they met," Stephenson said, "they made a break for each 
other's arms ; and then commenced one of those episodes in 
life which has to be seen to be appreciated, where the actors 
are two great, brawny men. The performances were varied 
and interesting, — first a hug, and then a general pawing 
over each others shoulders and backs, and, as if to add to 
the variety and interest of the scene, the pauses in this 
mimic bear-fight, were filled with sounds which so nearly 
resembled the opening of a champagne bottle, as to cause 
a moistening ol the mouths of the entire audience. But 
they finally reached that point in their history, where the 
mind is brought to a realizing sense that the possessors be- 
long to this world." 

Young Charles Jones came west to prepare for his 
father, Rev. Jones, of Cambridgeport, Mass., who had 
bought or bargained for two i6o acre lots (Nos. 22 and 
2-^, for a farm in Nevin. He himself intending to emigrate 
west with his family in the following year, to occupy his 
big Iowa farm. 

Mr. Smith, otherwise "Met" Smith, had bought 160- 
acre lot No. 45 (the farm now occupied by Mr. Steve 
Fouchek). He also was planning to farm. 

Mr. Stephenson's object here has been partly men- 
tioned before; and, he wanted to see for himself what there 
was in this new colony prospective settlement for him, 
and to be in a position if favorable, to return east to advise 
and aid his friends there in the matter of their comnig to 
Nevin also. 

Neither of the three men found as many colonists in 
the vicinity as they had been led to suppose; but Mr. 



THE STORY OF NEVIN. 37 

Stephenson after looking the situation over a few days, 
decided that the place would do, and soon afterwards he 
returned to Boston, and also to his old home in the Green 
Mountain state. 

In Boston, he had a conference with Turner and Smtih, 
who assured him that all of their promises in regard to 
Nevin, should be made good. He did some "missionary" 
work in Boston, and then in Vermont. His labors proved 
successful in forming a party to come west. 



AN ATTEMPTED RIVALRY. 

One day in April, Mr. Wm. Whipple, the "Mystic" 
farmer, came to the mill, and tried to induce our waiting 
colonists to abandon the project of again trying to settle 
the Nevin lands; and, instead of that, to go down to his 
place, and start a village settlement there, and name it 
Mystic. His trip proved fruitless; not a man could he se- 
duce; though Mr. McDougall was wilUng, provided some- 
one would buy his Nevin land, first. 



SETTLING THE TOWN. 

Monday morning, April 27th, bright and early, Mr. 
Ellis, with Mr. Pales as his helper, started for the colony 
lands, to commence the work of building his house. He 
had employed some one with a team, to haul them and their 
belongings — such as carpenter's tools, cooking stove and 
utensils, some provisions, and a little bedding — to the build- 
ing site previously selected. 

Arriving at the place, they first erected a temporary 
cabin, close by; its size was 10x12 feet, walls and roof of 
boards; it had no floor. Completing it before night, they 
moved in with their things, set up the stove, and made a 
bunk for two sleepers, in good season to prepare and eat 
their first supper in Nevin, by early candle light. 

For years afterwards, they often told about that (to 
them) interesting first day and night of theirs, in the newly 
relaunched town of Nevin: The day had been warm and 
pleasant; the calm, clear sunshine was such as only Iowa 
is prone to experience. As the sun went down the prairie 
chickens came near and cooed their welcome to the new- 
comers, as they, resting from their labors, stood in the door- 
way of their completed cabin. The burned over ground 



38 THE STORY OF NEVIN. 

was bare and almost black. But the grand vista, — swell 
on swell of rolling prairies that receded to the distant hori- 
zon, with only a few detached groves in sight — gave them 
inspiration, making them feel buoyant with youthful hope 
and anticipated happiness. 

The evening was spent by the two bachelors, in writ- 
ing long letters to their respective sweethearts residing 
in the east: — Miss Trask and Miss Lewis. The prospec- 
tive young wives, were no doubt filled in heart with warm 
reciprocal sympathy, as they in due time received and read 
their epistles from the west. 

Mr. Austin and Mr. Ellis had been for some time get- 
ting their lumber and frame along from the mill, to their 
respective places. They now proceeded as fast as they could, 
in house-building operations. On May 5th the frames of 
both houses went up; and during the month were finished 
on the outside, the floors laid, and some other inside car- 
pentering done. Mr. Austin and family moved from Hazel 
Green to their Nevin farm dwelling on June 3d, 1857. The 
store building frame was put up the day previovis, and it 
was done about June 20th. The Ellis house was ready to 
be occupied the first week in June. 



A MAIDEN FROM BOSTON. 

On the 17th of May, Mr. R. W. Turner, from Boston, 
accompanied by a Mr. Haddow and Miss Theresa M. Trask, 
arrived at the Gibbs hotel, Fontanelle, the latter two in- 
tending to become Nevin settlers. They had come by rail 
as far as Mt. Pleasant, where a livery rig, consisting of a 
two-horse, three-seat, covered carriage with driver, was 
hired to bring the three through. They followed the stage 
route via Knoxville and Winterset. The trip was comforta- 
ble, and was without any very notable event. At one place 
where they spent the night, the grown daughter of the ho- 
tel keeper, solicited Miss Trask in the morning to remain 
long enough to cut her a dress pattern, for a dress like the 
one she was traveling in; of course she did not stop. At 
Winterset they were an hour late for the regular noon meal, 
and so they got but a slim dinner; for meat, the only thing 
was chicken bones that had once done duty at the hotel 
meal. At Qarks station (near Greenfield), they stayed over 
night, where the talkative Mrs. Clark sat on the foot of 
Miss Trask's bed till nearly midnight, telling her stories 



THE STORY OF NEVIN. 39 

about Adair county, and especially about Fontanelle say- 
ings and doings. The next forenoon the party arrived at 
Hotel "Gibbs," Fontanelle. Before 24 hours had passed 
there came a man from Winterset inquiring for a 
young lady who had taken dinner, two days before, at the 
Winterset hotel, whom he had noticed there, and had seen 
start out with the rest of the team load for Fontanelle. 
This unmarried genleman, it seems, was in need of a 
wife, and was favorably struck with the graceful and rather 
jaunty appearance of the young woman from the east, and 
was ready, presumably, to fall at her feet and confess — in 
case opportunity presented itself. Mrs. Gibbs pityingly told 
him that the lady was supposed to be engaged to a young 
man at Nevin, and had come west to marry him. The as- 
piring lawyer got no chance to meet the maiden from 
Boston, and so he went back to Winterset, disappointed 
and down-at-the-mouth. 



GETTING MARRIED. 

On Friday afternoon, Jime 5th, Mr, Ellis took a walk 
from Nevin to Fontanelle, to see and visit his affianced, 
and to complete arrangements for marriage and setting up 
housekeeping at the new house in Nevin. The following 
morning he started out to procure the needed license to 
wed. The county judge, John J. Leeper, was with his 
family, on their new farm several miles southwest of the 
little county seat. Mr. Ellis found the judge and his wife 
in the field, planting corn; she was dropping the seed by 
hand, into previously made furrows, and he was covering 
it with a hand hoe. Mind you, there were no machine 
corn-planters in those primitive days, not even a hand 
corn-planter. The single shovel plow was just being in- 
troduced in the west. 

Mr. Ellis secured the marriage license, paying the 
judge's fee of 35 cents; then he had to take it to the re- 
corder, Mr. Valentine, who officially signed the document. 
His legal fee was $1. 

The two young people rather preferred that the knot 
should be tied in Nevin. The Austins had been previously 
consulted in the matter, but the official to perform the cere- 
mony had not been engaged. There was a Rev. Walker 
then living in Fontanelle, and Judge Leeper was also a 
person authorized to do such things. Evidently one of 



40 THE STORY OF NEVIN. 

them would have to be asked to go to Nevin on the 
morrow. 

About noon, however, as luck would have it, there ar- 
rived on the stage from the east, the Rev. Norman Harris, 
who wanted to go to the Austin home that afternoon, to 
visit with them (he was a brother of Mrs. Austin). And 
again, very fortunately, a Mr. Crane, a settler of Washing- 
ton township, was with his two-horse team that day in 
Fontanelle on some trading business. 

Mr. Ellis had a load of housekeeping goods there, 
that he wished hauled to Nevin that day. So, this Mr. 
Crane was employed by Mr. Ellis, to haul the whole out- 
fit to Nevin that afternoon or evening. 

First, the trunks and household goods (the latter un- 
boxed) were packed into the farm wagon, then the passen- 
gers, — Miss Trask, Mr. Harris, and Mr. Ellis, together witli 
driver Crane, were placed in on top of the goods. The 
passengers being quite elevated, the load seemed rather 
top-heavy, — even to vibrating. 

There was no road, and a wagon-trail extended only 
a part of the distance, the surface of the prairie was rough. 
There were two streams to ford, one at Chapman's grove, 
the other about a mile before reaching the Austin house. 
The daylight was fast disappearing, but they finally ar- 
rived at the hospitable home of the Austins (notwithstand- 
ing some solicitude on the part of the "tenderfeet" of the 
party). Here, the young woman and the minister were 
left to spend the night, and the others proceeded on to the 
Ellis house, in the to-be village of Nevin. Then Mr. 
Crane, after being divested of the balance of his load of 
goods, trunks and passengers; drove to his farm home, ten 
miles away, that night. But that high-up, vibrating ride to 
Nevin, was never forgotten by any of that party. Rev. 
N. Harris, many years a missionary in India, had often, 
in that country ridden his own elephant on long journeys, 
to his different stations of mission work. This vibrating 
ride, was pronounced more intensely novel, more supremely 
ludicrous, and more persistingly shaking, than ever was 
any elephant, giraffe, camel, or burro ride, — if you have a 
mind to look at it in that light. 

Sunday, June 7th, 1857, was fine and sunny. About 
noon, Mr. Ellis and his particular friend, Mr. Fales, made 
their way north to the Austin home. Here Mr. Ellis and 
Miss Trask were officially united in marriage; Rev. N. 



THE STORY OF NEVIN. 41 

Harris administering the ceremony. This was the first 
marriage celebrated within the bounds of the Nevin colony 
lands. 

After a light repast at the Austin home, Mr. and Mrs. 
Ellis in the mid-afternoon of that mild, spring day made 
tneir short honeymoon trip. It was simply a walk of about 
two miles, from Mr. Austin's to the Ellis home, over un- 
broken sod and grass, without road, path or trail. There 
were no showers of rice nor throwing of old shoes. Ar- 
riving at their own home, their knock at the door was re- 
sponded to by his friend, Mr. M. D. Smith, who was there 
awaiting them. They were ushered in, and their "at home" 
was initiated. 



NEW COLONISTS. 



On the evening of June 13th, a party of six men, right 
from Boston, drove up to the Ellis house door. They 
were Joseph White and his two sons, George and John. 
The old gentleman and George were married men, their 
families still remaining in the east. The other three men 
were A. H. Harlow and his grown sons, William and 
Joseph. The elder Harlow was son-in-law to Mr. Joseph 
White. 

The six men put up at the new Ellis house. On their 
way west, at Burlington, they had purchased a two-horse 
spring wagon team, with which to make the journey to 
Nevin. Mr. Ellis as yet having no stable, they tied their 
horses for the night, to a saw-horse, well staked down. 
During the night the horses got away and strayed off south 
to the South, or Beath-Whipple grove, where they were 
found grazing the next forenoon. 

The Whites reported meeting Mr. Stephenson in Bos- 
ton sometime in May, and that he took them to the Kilby 
street office of Turner and Smith, where a long confab was 
held. The Whites had seen the alluring advertisements of 
Nevin, in the Boston dailies, and had become interested 
in the subject. Mr. Turner exhibited to them their maps 
of Iowa, and of Nevin lands in particular; enlarging at a 
great rate upon the beauties of a life in their New England 
Colony of Iowa, and urging them that "now is the ac- 
cepted time." 

Mr. Joseph White had been for years conducting 
boarding houses in the city, and he wanted some change in 



42 THE STORY OF NEVIN. 

business. George was a cooper by trade, and it seems, was 
not averse to going west. The elder Mr. White inquired 
about water, coal, and stone (water and coal were vital 
questions in Boston boarding houses). Mr. Turner told 
him that water was found in abundance by digging wells 
about twelve feet deep, and that plenty of stone was in the 
streams nearby, also that coal was to be had at fifty cents 
per load at coal mines right there in Adams county. 

Mr. Turner recommended them to a choice of farms 
while they were going. Accordingly, Mr. George White 
selected 40-acre lot No. 9, and 160-acre lot No. 13, paying 
half down, the balance of the price being secured by a note 
and mortgage on the premises. But by some oversight no 
note accompanied the mortgage in the transfer of papers. 
A few years later Mr. White got judgment in a suit in an 
Adair county court, quieting his title to the 200 acre's of 
land, and canceling the record claim under the mortgage. 

The remark is made here, that as far as the writer 
knows, Turner and Smith never attempted to foreclose any 
of those early mortgages on Nevin lands, executed prior to 
August 19th, 1857, and but few of them were ever paid. 

On Sunday afternoon, June 14th, another party of 
men from Yankeedom appeared in Nevin, — seven persons, 
all from St. Johnsbury, Vermont. These were John Bixby, 
a carpenter, and his brother, George F. Bixby; 
Richard Eastman and his son, Charles V. Eastman; S. C. 
Chubb, A. D. Pike, and J. H. Hutchins. They, too, all 
put up at the Ellis house. This party of men came to 
Nevin in a two-horse lumber wagon outfit, that Mr. John 
Bixby had bought at Burlington on their way here. It is 
not stated what they did with the horses that night, but 
they and the White horses must have been tied to opposite 
sides of the Bixby heavy wagon. The next day was wet 
and cold, and so the men remained indoors; some of them 
made some needed bedsteads. The poor horses fretted and 
shivered in their chilling exposure at the lee side of the 
house. It continued to be cold and showery most of the 
two following days, and nothing was done outdoors, ex- 
cept that some of the Vermonters one day drove to Hazel 
Green and back. 

The 17th of June was Bunker Hill anniversary. The 
Whites being genuine Boston Yankees celebrated the 
event in going out and planting some corn on the Jordan 
last year's breaking. 



THE STORY OF NEVIN. 43 

One day soon after, the lately arrived parties held an 
indignation meeting in the Ellis house chamber, denounc- 
ing Mr. Turner. They also passed resolutions, as to what 
the two Boston proprietors must do in order to retain them 
in the colony. They mailed a copy of the resolutions to 
Messrs. Turner and Smith. A day or two after this, the 
Vermonters decided that they would leave, anyhow. And 
so they packed their tools and other things into their wagon 
and started; first for the mill, where Mr. Jordan persuaded 
the two Bixbys and the two Eastmans to remain till word 
could be obtained from Mr. Turner. The Messrs. Pike, 
Chubb and Hutchins went on to Fontanelle and thence to 
the east, and never came back to Iowa any more. 

The Bixby and Eastman men got employment at the 
mill to some extent. Hearing from Boston after awhile, 
they now decided to remain, and came back to Nevin in 
August, preparatory to commencing work there. Though 
finally, Mr. John Bixby was the only one of the four, that 
became a permanent settler. 



HOME MAKING. 



During early June, Mr. Chas. Jones finished building 
a small one story, board dwelling, on the hazel-brush blufT 
west of the stream crossing his father's 160-acre lot No. 
22. This was the third dwelling built on Nevin land. On 
the loth, the three single men, Messrs. Jones, Smith and 
Fales, moved thereinto, and kept bachelors' quarters awhile, 
or until the Sul. Pierce family moved there. 

The Whites, soon after getting to Nevin, went to work 
in a small way to make a home on their 40-acre lot. Thev 
at once planted a garden; then finding signs of a spring 
on the 40, they dug a well, and at a depth of about fifteen 
feet, found plenty of good, cool water. This was the first 
well as deep as that, furnishing good water, in Nevin, Mr. 
Austin's, perhaps, excepted. Their next work was the build- 
ing of a small dwelling with lumber from the mill, into 
which the party lately from Boston moved on the 26th of 
June. Tills was the fourth dwelling built in Nevin. 

During the first week in July, Mr. George White and 
one of the Harlow young men started for "Traders Point," 
a landing on the east bank of the Missouri, a few miles be- 
low the outlet of the Platte river opposite, to get their 



44 THE STORY OF NEVIN. 

housekeeping goods. The goods had been shipped from 
Boston by railroad to the Ohio, and thence by steam packet 
down that river and up the Mississippi and the Missouri, to 
its destination. The men with their loads got back in six 
days. Of the six men comprising the White-Harlow party, 
but one — George White, remained long enough to be called 
a permanent settler. The others sooner or later went to 
pastures new, farther east. 



JULY 4, 1857- 



This year, the Nevinites were in limited numbers, but 
they did the best they could to celebrate the day of Inde- 
pendence. There was no church bell to ring. There was 
no liberty pole from which to display the flag. There 
were no facilities for a big dinner, nor plans for a display of 
high flown oratory. There was not even a bunch of Chi- 
nese fire crackers in the place, to fire of? in their attempt to 
relieve their pent up patriotism. So Mr. White, the cooper, 
took his gun and ranged South grove for wild game; while 
Mrs. Ellis took a walk over north to the Austin farm, to 
have a neighborly visit with Mrs. Austin and Martha. Mr. 
Ellis, after tacking a notice — "Gone to the 4th of July" — 
to his door, took that "buckwheat" trip on foot, noticed 
elsewhere. What the others did is not reported, except to 
say that all were home again in season for supper. 



NICHOLS, JONES AND PALES. 

Soon as Carpenter Nichols had finished the Turner- 
Stephenson store building, the last week in June, 1857; he, 
with Mr. Jones, the student, and Mr. Fales, the inventor, 
made a trip to Kansas; finding nothing there more inviting 
than Iowa, they, after a month, returned; Mr. Nichols to 
Fontanelle and the others to Nevin. Mr. Jones remained 
in the west till August, 1859, when he returned east. His 
father. Rev. Jones, never came to Nevin to go into farm- 
ing. 



1857 FARMING. 



Quite an amount of prairie breaking was done on Nevin 
lands during June and July, 1857. Mr. Austin, Mr. Day 
and Mr. Met Smith, who owned work oxen, had the largest 



THE STORY OF NEVIN. 45 

tracts turned over; while Messrs. McDougall, Harris, 
White and Ellis had smaller pieces broken on their respec- 
tive lots or farms. Mr. McDougall had made an exchange 
of land with Turner and Smith, he getting the south half 
of 160-acre lot No. 41, just over the county line, in Adair 
county. Later, was the "Black" homestead. Here was 
where "Uncle Mack" did his 1857 breaking. 

The planting and seeding this year was slim, but all 
of the 1856 breaking was utilized some way. In May, corn 
hauled from Dallas county was worth from two to three 
dollars per bushel; some of it was used for seed, but it 
proved to be without vitality, and therefore little or none 
of it grew. There was neither wheat nor oats sown on 
Nevin lands this year; though, it may be remarked, Mr. 
Dunlap at Hazel Green raised a good crop of wheat on 
previous year hazel breaking. Potatoes for seed were rather 
scarce, but the few planted produced a good crop. Messrs. 
Samuel Moore and Joseph Scott, of the Moore settlement 
in Carl township, were earlier settlers in the county, than 
those who came to Nevin this year, so they had potatoes 
so plenty as to haul several loads to Nevin in the fall, to 
sell. During the first week in July Mr. Ellis, finding that 
his chopped-in corn had not sprouted, went afoot, sack in 
hand, to the John Amnion farm ten miles west of his home, 
where he bought half a bushel of buckwheat, which he 
carried home, going home by way of the Austin farm. 
The next Monday, he, with the use of Mr. Austin's yoke 
of oxen and wooden toothed harrow, covered in his seed, 
sown on Jewett's last year breaking. The crop was good. 
About fifteen bushels of flail threshed, cleaned grain, was 
harvested. 



HARRIS AND STEPHENSON GET FARMS. 

About July loth, 1857, Mr. Henry Harris and his new 
cousin-wife, Betsy, arrived at the Austin's, from New York- 
state, driving a $500 span of horses and carriage. (He soon 
after sold the outfit to Rev. Norris Day for that sum). 

Mr. Harris and Mrs. Austin were brother and sister. 
The Harrises remained at the Austin home while deciding 
about investing in Nevin real estate. Along in August, 
during Turner and Smith's visit to Nevin, and after Turner 
and Smith had done some much needed work, Mr. Harris 



46 THE STORY OF NEVIN. 

bought lot No. 6, of the i6o-acre size, the one joining the 
Austin farm on its west. During the fall he put up a bam 
on it, and then they moved into his barn-house. 

On July 14th, Mr. B. O. Stephenson reappeared in 
the New England Colony of Iowa, having been gone east 
since the last of April. Two days later, he made choice 
of 160-acre lot No. 43, the one in later years known as the 
Adam McKeen farm. This farm and the Jones-Day farm 
were the only Nevin farms having native groves thereon. 



A BLUE STREAK. 



Saturday, July i8th, was a day long remembered by 
many of the colonists. Discontent had been growing, and 
was now intense. Even Mr. Ellis, for the first time, was 
attacked with a "blue streak," at the delay of Turner and 
Smtih. At noon he went to see Mr. Joseph White, who 
was also badly affected, much in the same way. They talked 
the matter over, heaping the blame on Mr. Turner's head. 

Mr. Ellis went home again, and consulted with his 
wife, who suggested some methods of relief and hope. 
As they stood side by side in the west doorway of their 
domicile, looking wistfully westward, with thoughts of the 
new openings for settlers just across the Missouri, in Ne- 
braska and Kansas, she with true womanly courage, 
cheered him up. She suggested to him that even if Nevin 
colony should fail in its purposes, and that they should 
lose every dollar there invested. "We are young, strong 
and well; we can succeed in making a home over there 
in those new territories, where land with good titles can 
be had from government, to make a farm from, as many a 
young couple with small means are now doing." 

Mr. Ellis was reconciled; let what would come, he 
had a partner to share his lot; and so the event soon passed 
off. 

The same evening, not three hours later, Rev. Norris 
Day, the evangelist, and his son Elisha, arrived at the mill, 
and on the morrow he visited Nevin. He was from Ohio, 
and had recently been to Boston to confer with Messrs. 
Turner and Smith, in regard to the purchase by him of an 
interest in the steam mill property at Hazel Green. 

Mr. Day assured the disheartened settlers that the two 
Boson proprietors of Nevin lands would fulfill their prom- 
ises, and that the proper plats of Nevin lands and lots 



THE STORY OF NEVIN. 47 

would be filed for record in the two counties very soon. 
These cheering words and assurances drove the "blues" 
away into thin air. 



THE MILL PROPERTY. 

On the 20th, Mr. Day, Mr. Jordan, and the other 
colony men, had a meeting for conference; every Nevin in- 
terest was discussed, and plans were suggested for the fu- 
ture. Conclusions were arrived at, that all would stick to 
the original purpose of colonizing Nevin lands. 

The mill property seemed to have, or was thought to 
have, a vital connection with the settlement of Nevni. It 
was acquiesced in by those at the meeting in Nevin, that 
Mr. Jordan should retain a one-third interest in the mill 
property, that Mr. B. O. Stephenson should have a one- 
third, and that Day and Whipple should have the remainmg 
one-third interest. 

Two days later, Messrs. Day and Stephenson started 
for Boston, to complete arrangements with Messrs. Tur- 
ner and Smith as to the disposition of the steam-mill prop- 
erty. 

On their way east, they at Winterset met a Mr. Sulli- 
van Pierce, who, with his wife and child, and Mr. Haddow 
(again), were on their way from near Boston, to our Yan- 
kee settlement. Mr. Day was led to decide that the Pierces 
were just what he now needed, and so he returned with 
them, to install them on the "Jo^^s-Day" farm, and to 
set Mr. Pierce at work breaking prairie on that place. 

After the Pierces were settled in the former Jones 
small house, Mr. Fales and Mr. Met Smith made that their 
boarding place. Mr. Fales, however, remained only a 
month, or such a matter, after his return from the Kansas 
expedition: He returned to the east, and married his Miss 
Lewis, settling at his former home and business in Walpole. 
The two died rich in goods, many years ago. 

Mr. M. D. Smith continued his breaking business the 
season of 1857. 

There were many prospective settlers, who came to 
Nevin in 1857 and '58, who did not remain, so their names 
are not mentioned by this writer; excepting some for spe- 
cial reasons, later on. 



48 THE STORY OF NEVIN. 

RELIGIOUS MEETINGS. 

On Sunday afternoon, July 26th, there was a meet- 
ing of most of the Nevin colony, at the Ellis house; at 
which a Bible-class was organized. There were fifteen 
persons present: — Rev. N. Day, Chas. Austin, wife and 
daughter Martha; J. L. Haddow, Mr. and Mrs. H. Harris, 
M. D. Smith, Mr. and Mrs. S. Pierce and daughter, Mr. 
John White, Mr. and Mrs. J. L. Ellis, and E. Day. The 
sixth chapter of Matthew was read, and the lesson was 
duly discussed. Mr. Austin was chosen Bible-class teacher; 
and it was decided to have meetings every Sunday fore- 
noon. The gathering also voted to have meetings for 
preaching service on Sunday afternoons, when practicable. 
The Bixbys, Eastmans, and Mr. Jordan were at the mill; 
and Joseph and George White were gone to Mt. Pleasant 
on business. 

• The next Sunday (August 2nd) was a beautiful day. 
The regular Bible-class was held at the Ellis house; and 
in the afternoon, public religious service was held; Rev. N. 
Day preaching a sermon from Matthew 24:44. This was 
the first gospel preaching within Nevin boundaries. There 
were twenty-one persons present at the preaching, all of 
the previous Sunday's persons except Mr. Haddow; and 
also John and James McCall, J. McDougall, J. Harlow, 
and Mr. and Mrs. C. C. Cutler and mother. After this 
meeting, the appointments of both Bible-class and preach- 
ing services were in the afternoon. The Bible-class was 
continued every Sunday, at the same place until, after Sep- 
tember 15th, when their meetings were, for the winter, 
discontinued. Rev. Day being called east on business a 
few weeks later, preaching services stopped also. 



EARLY COUNTY ROADS. 

The first county road crossing Nevin lands, was run 
from the northwest corner of section 3, by way of Nevin 
common, to the southeast corner of section i, township 73, 
range 32; there to connect with a recently laid out road in 
Union county, running to Afton. The colony township 
portion of this "Afton to Lewis" road was run on April 
22nd, 1858; Mr. Ellis was commissioner, and Mr. Frank 
Whitney of Adair county was surveyor. The second road 
in the same place, was laid out on the 4th and 5th of 



THE STORY OF NEVIN. 49 

June, 1858, which connected Nevin common with the 
southwest corner of the Joseph Scott farm in Carl town* 
ship. The third road was laid out June 22nd and 23rd 
1858, from Adair county line, by way of Nevin common, 
to Wm. Whipple's "Mystic," in township 72, range 32. 
Mr. L. V. Ritchey was commissioner, and Mr. J. L. Ellis 
surveyor. There were no permanent bridges built near 
Nevin, for a number of years later. 



TURNER AND SMITH IN NEVIN. 

On the evening of August 13th Mr. Roswell W. Tur- 
ner and Mr. Richard B. Smith, of Boston, also Mr. Briant 

O. Stephenson, from the east, arrived in Nevin, the 
"Mecca" of the west. This was the first visit, together, of 
the two Boston gentlemen, to the place since March, 1856; 
when they were in the west to enter their Nevin lands. 
Making their headquarters at the Ellis house and sleeping 
under its roof; our Mr. Stephenson narrated an incident 
that happened that first night, to the supreme annoyance 
of Mr. Turner; but to the others present, it was ever after 
a subjec of merriment. 

Mr. Ellis's house had not yet been shingled, but was 
boarded and battened up and down the roof. As the boards 
seasoned, the cracks opened and thus let in the rain. This 
night, it seems that one bed was so situated under some 
boards laid across collar beams, that it would in some 
measure be protected should it chance to rain. Messrs. 
Stephenson and Smith finished their day's business a little 
before Mr. Turner and retired. Fresh air and ventilation 
being in these days quite a consideration, they generously 
relinquished the bed under the eaves to Mr. Turner. He, 
obeying the divine injunction, "Take no thought of the 
morrow," retired to dream of fair prairie lands. 

At home, Mr. Turner had enjoyed the luxury of a 
shower bath, but he had no idea that such things existed 
in Nevin; however, true Yankee enterprise has no limits, 
the shower bath was before him. About 2 o'clock an un- 
looked-for shower of rain commenced to fall. His room- 
mates awaking, discovered him sitting on the foot of his 
bed. Although nothing to be afraid of could be seen by 
them, he was shaking as if he had seen the ghost of some 
one of his former land customers. 



SQ THE STORY OF NEVIN. 

A few weeks after this, Mr. Ellis succeeded at a cost 
of $60 in getting 10,000 shingles, from Odell's newly-set-up 
steam shingle factory, situated between Quincy and Nod- 
away; to cover his roof. The inevitable institution of 
shower bath was, however, immediately reopened at the 
residence of the Pierces, on the Jones-Day farm, with the 
added feature of a stock of umbrellas at hand, so that when 
a subject began to feel the "shakes" coming over him and 
wished to shut ofT the invigorating streams, he had but to 
spread an umbrella over his head. 

Messrs. Turner and Smith having completed the line 
of title to Nevin lots, by the recording of their last authenti- 
cated Nevin plat at Quincy, on August 19, 1857, they were 
prepared to do needed business with the settlers. 

Their first business was the building of a hotel, which 
need had been pressed by the Vermonters. They con- 
tracted with Stephenson and Bixby to build a hotel of given 
dimensions and specifications, on the southeast corner of 
block C, to be finished by June i, 1858. The contract also 
provided for the building of a barn in the rear. The con- 
tract price was $3,500 for the job. 

The next day Turner and Smith executed deeds as 
follows: 120 acres in 160-acre lot No. 7 to Mr. Austin; 
i6o-acre lot No. 43 to Mr. Stephenson; lo-acre lot No. 87 
to Bixby and Stephenson; 160-acre lot No. 6 to Henry 
Harris; 160-acre lot No. 8 to Norman Harris; 2 1-2-acre 
lot No. 118, and lot 3 in block I to Mr. Ellis, and per- 
haps other deeds. On the day following. Turner and 
Smith started on their return to Boston. 



PASSING OF THE MILL. 

Soon after Turner and Smith had gone back east, it 
became known in Nevin that Day, Whipple & Co., now 
owned and managed the mill property, they having bought 
the interest of Turner and Smith. And it was evident 
that Mr. Stephenson had finally decided not to invest in 
that property. 

The lumber business was continued until the first week 
in November, the same year; when they introduced a grist 
mill attachment to the saw-mill. This was in due time es- 
tablished, and was operated by them for a number of years. 
Mr. J. P. Jordan, the "Co." proprietor, had died at the 



THE STORY OF NEVIN. 51 

mill, October 12th, so the mill firm became Day & Whip- 
ple; furthermore, a Mr. Walton about that time bought 
an interest in the property. A long generation before these 
lines were penned, the mill had disappeared. The lands 
are now a portion of Jay Hurlbut's big stock farm. 

Mr. Jordan's death was the first among the colonists. 
The body was buried the next day, in a parcel of ground set 
off later as a burying ground, about half a mile north- 
east of the mill. Rev. Norris Day officiated at the funeral, 
which was attended by some Nevin people. Mr. Jordan 
left a family residing in Maine to mourn their loss. 



DIGGING OF WELLS. 

During the summer and fall of 1857, Mr. George 
White deepened his home well to twenty feet, and walled 
it up with creek boulders and small stones. Within the 
same period, Mr. Ellis dug and made three wells, each of 
them was twenty-nine feet deep, all on high land. The first 
one, dug at his house, collapsed during a big rain fall after 
he had gotten five feet at the bottom walled with rivef 
stones; so he had to dig another near by. The third well 
dug was at the hotel. 

The particular point of interest in the sinking of these 
three wells was, that Mr. Ellis dug all of them without any 
assistant. He would go to the bottom of his digging by 
way of a ladder, spade up and fill his mud bucket, and 
then go to the surface, and hoist up with windlass, his 
bucket of mud. He would then empty it and go down 
again; in this way he completed the digging of them all. 

The two last wells dug were walled with burr-oak, 
sawed curbing, set horizontally, and built square to the 
bottom. They both furnished a good and abundant water 
supply for many years, before the curbing decayed. 



HOTEL AND STORE. 

Work commenced upon the hotel, to be called the 
"New England House," on the 7th of September. The 
barn was enclosed first, so as to furnish a work shop for 
the carpenters. The work on the hotel, under boss carpen- 
ter John Bixby, was pushed along fast. Frame and lumber 
were procured from Day & Co.'s saw-mill. Pine finishing 



52 THE STORY OF NEVIN. 

lumber, shingles, lath and hardware were hauled from Bur- 
lington. Mr. Stephenson had started with three teams on 
the 27th of August for the railroad terminus at Mt. Pleasant 
to get his store goods and nails. Two of the teams got 
back September i6th, and the store was opened the next 
day. The other team, which had been clear to Burlington, 
and returned by way of the new route to Nevin from the 
east, — "Barkers mill on Grand river," — did not arrive 
home till twelve days later. The work of hauling store 
goods and hotel materials was continued, and the building 
of the New England House went on from week to week 
till Thanksgiving time. 



M. J. HAZELTINE. 



On September 27th, another Vermonter, Mr. M. J. 
Hazeltine, entered the "New Boston" of Dr. Nevin. He at 
once bargained for the southwest lot, in block D (across the 
street east of the hotel), and engaged Bixby and Stephen- 
son to build him a house thereon during the winter, and 
he then went back. On May 15th, 1858, he again appeared 
in Nevin; this time bringing his aged mother, and his 
wife, and their two young daughters, Minnie and Mattie. 
They at once occupy their just finished house, the fifth 
dwelling built within Nevin limits. He lived in the place 
till about 1863, when he removed his family to Illinois, 
where he was in the marble and tombstone business for 
years. Later in life they moved again; this time to Des 
Moines, Iowa. The old couple celebrated their golden 
wedding there in 1899. His aged mother died in Nevin 
in August, 1858. They have a married daughter, whose 
husband taught school in Des Moines, and later in Utah. 



RICHARD SELLS TO ALVIN. 

On September 30th, 1857, Mr. Richard B. Smith and 
wife, by his attorney, W. W. Cowles, deeded to his father, 
Alvin Smith of West Roxbury, all their interest in the Nevin 
lands. The deed was recorded at Fontanelle on November 
2nd, and at Quincy on December ist, 1857. 



FIRST BRIDGE. 



The stream at South grove, was bridged the first time, 
on October 28th, 1857; stringers were cut from the nearby 



THE STORY OF NEVIN. 53 

grove. The covering was slabs, from the mill. The labor 
was all contributed free, by the settlers. 



A MATRON FROM BOSTON. 

Thursday, November 12th, 1857, was winterish and 
dull out of doors, but within the walls of the small house 
of the "Whites" it was warm, cosy and joyful, as the eve- 
ning closed in on its inmates. Mr. George White had during 
the day returned from an overland trip to the railroad end, 
bringing home with him his mother, Mrs. Joseph White, 
and his elderly sister, Miss Harriet White; just from the 
old Boston home. Now, the three White men who have 
bached so long, will have the women to keep house and 
cook for them. 

Their three friends, the Harlow men, had before this 
left the colony, two of them returning east, while William 
remained in the county until he enlisted in the army in 
1861 or '62. 



A SUDDEN DEATH. 

On the morning of Sunday, November 15th, 1857, a 
sad accident occurred in the* Stephenson store; John Huse, 
a lad of some sixteen years, was shot dead by a ball through 
the head, from a revolver in the hands of C. E. Eastman. 
This was the first death in Nevin. The body was laid away 
the next day. No grave stone marks the spot; but it was 
about eight rods from the southeast corner of Rose Hill 
cemetery. 

THANKSGIVING— 1857. 

November 26th, 1857, was Thanksgiving day ofificially, 
in Iowa, but there was no special observance of the occa- 
sion by Nevin people. Christmas, however, was observed 
by many in Nevin and by those at the mill, in having a 
social gathering in the evening, at the Dunlap home at 
Hazel Green. Those from Nevin did not return home till 
about midnight. 



NEW ENGLAND HOUSE OCCUPIED. 

On October 6th, Mr. Stephenson's family, consisting of 
his wife, Persis, their two children Mary and Charles, his 



54 THE STORY OF NEVIN. 

father Reuben, and the lad John Huse, arrived in Nevin 
from Vermont. Conveyed here from the railroad end, in 
the two horse wagon of Mr. L. Richmond. They boarded 
at the Ellis house till late in November. 

Messrs. Bixby and Stephenson finished the outside of 
the New England House, and considerable of the inside 
work was done, including finishing the two rear rooms, the 
laying of all the floors, etc. 

On November 25th, the Stephensons all moved into the 
hotel and commenced housekeeping for themselves. A few 
days after this, they took in the boarders of the settlement. 
And soon after that they commenced to accommodate the 
traveling public. 

Mrs. Ellis, being thereby relieved from much of the in- 
cessant work of the summer and f^ll, had a chance now to 
rest up somewhat, as well as more time to adjust her 
home-making affairs. 

The work on the hotel was continued partially into the 
winter, but the plastering was not done till May. The 
sign, — "New England House," was painted in big letters 
over the south door entrance, by Mr. J. Hoskins, in July, 
1858. Deborah, the elderly daughter of R. Stephenson, 
joined the family the same spring; but she returned east 
within twenty months, and was married there to Mr. George 
F. Bixby. Mr. R. Stephenson died January 18th, 1861. 
Young Chas. Stephenson died September i6th, 1859. 



UNDERGROUND RAILROAD. 

Along about the middle of the chilly forenoon of Sun- 
day, December 20th, 1857, ^s Mr. and Mrs. Ellis happened 
to be looking from a south window of their house, they 
saw approaching from the south, a farm wagon, in which 
were seated two men driving the horses at a walk. Pres- 
ently the team stopped in front of the house, and while 
one of the men remained seated, the other one got out and 
walked around to the west door; where he inquired if they 
could get permission to "bring their load in and have it 
warmed." Mr. and Mrs. Ellis looked inquiringly at each 
other, and then at the stranger, in a silent questioning at- 
titude, as much as to say, "what does the man mean?" He 
noticing their evident perplexity, proceeded to explain by 
saying that they had a "black man" in their wagon box, 
covered with loose hav to conceal him from nnv one who 



THE STORY OF NEVIN. 55 

might chance to meet or pass them that mornmcr. on tlie 
road from Quincy. 

The black man of course was cold, riding in that pros- 
trate position that December morning; and the men, know- 
ing that Nevin was a colony of Yankees, and presuming 
thai anti-slavery sentiment was rife here; ventured, with 
bated breath and apprehensive movements, to stoj) at this 
iiouse to have the negro warmed. Mr. and Mrs. Ellis of 
course said "yes, bring him in." The runaway was of middle 
age, stout, and as black as an ace of spades. i-[(^ called him- 
self "Aaron." He said that he had left his master on the 
Missouri-Kansas border. 

The two men were Mr. B. F. Allen and Mr. David 
Peterson, of Quincy, veritable abolitionists, and regular 
conductors on the Underground Railroad, running betvv'een 
the slave states, and the free states and Canada. 

The darkey had by some unknown means gotten as 
far as Quincy; there he had been taken in charge by the 
local agent, who had confided the trust to Messrs. Allen and 
Peterson. That morning, long before day, they had taken 
the man aboard their wagon, and had driven by round- 
about roads and cross trails to this New England settle- 
ment. 

After the "load" had been suf^ciently warmed, Mr. 
Ellis recommended the men to Mr. B. O. Stephenson, at 
the hotel. Here the "contraband" was left, and the con- 
ductors went home by an unfrequented route. Mr. Stephen- 
son concealed the negro in some back room or place, until 
he could some night be forwarded on, by way of Wintersel. 

Father R. Stephenson, living at the hotel, was an old- 
style New Hampshire democrat, and wanted no runaway 
slave about him. But he didn't mistrust that the man, 
Aaron, was in the house, during all the nine days that 
elapsed before he was sent on towards the "Star of Free- 
dom." 



CEMETERY AND COLLEGE LOTS. 

Ten-acre lot No. 49. was on Xovember 22nd. 1858, 
deeded by Turner and Smith to J. L. Ellis, J. Bixby and G. 
F. Bixby, trustees of Colony township in trust for 
cemetery purposes. The trust was to descend to 
their successors in that township office. The deed 
was recorded on page 2"]^, in "Book D," at Quincy. 



S6 THE STORY OF NEVIN. 

At a later date, the lot was surveyed and laid out into burial 
lots, 2x2 rods in size; and into blocks, of four burial lots 
each. There were drive-ways, and a circular area in the 
centre for ornamentation purposes. The cemetery is named 
"Rose Hill." The divisional plat was also recorded. 

The 1857 plat of Nevin designated lo-acre lot No. 52 
as "College" lot. It was found in after years, that the lot 
"dedication" was defective. It was permitted to lapse, be- 
came delinquent for its taxes, and was finally lost by county 
treasurers' tax-sale deed in later years. 

There were also in that same 1857 plat, a small block 
lot, marked "school," and another one marked "church," 
both of which, on survey, were found to be unsuitable for 
such uses, and they, too, were permitted to become delin- 
quent for taxes, and were later lost by tax sale deed. 



KENADA TIMBER. 



Turner and Smith, in 1857, bought the "Kenada" 80 
acres of timber land on the Nodaway just below Chapman's 
grove. The next year it was surveyed into 5-acre lots, and 
sold to Nevin settlers, as wanted. 



THE STORY OF NEVIN. 57 



Chapter IV, 1858. 



THE FUEL QUESTION. 

During the first two weeks in January, 1858, there 
was a gradual thawing of snow. On two or three days the 
streams near Nevin were so high as to be completely im- 
passable without boats. The Nevin people in general 
passed the winter in trying to keep warm; and thus fuel 
was the leading question. Their pioneering needs in the 
matter of fuel seemed to place them in much the same 
relation to the unoccupied native groves around, as was 
that of the Indians in their relation to wild timber, game and 
fish. Wood for fuel, was cut and hauled from non-resi- 
dent land, with but little compunction of conscience, for a 
few years after the coming of the early settlers. Jayhawk- 
ers were not by any means confined to Kansas. Air. John 
Barnett, lived on his farm, but twenty miles away, so hardly 
anybody presumed to "hook" any live trees from his fine 
grove four or five miles south of Nevin. Mr. Josiah El- 
liott lived only twelve or thirteen miles from his fine grove 
in section 15, and as he came to see it occasionally, but few 
of his live trees were taken off after 1856. There was no 
one to care for the little Mormon-camp grove, on the creek, 
northwest of the Austin farm; so, its smaller trees, went ofif 
to keep some newcomers house warm. 

The "Ingles" timber, some five or six miles down the 
stream from Nevin, was a favorite resort after the first three 
or four years in settlers' life; and in following years was 
largely denuded of its surplus wood, by the prairie settlers, 
having none of their own. Mr. Ingles lived much farther 
away than did Messrs. Barnett. Elliott and Boyd; some one 
sent him word, that his Adams county timber trees were 
being hauled away, in several directions. He was said to 
have sent word back in return, that it was all right; that the 
settlement of the country was the one thing needed to give 
salable value to the land of speculators; and that the set- 
tlers were doing more to increase the worth of his Iowa 
land than he had done, or expected ever to do. 



58 THE STORY OF NEVIN. 

Bystander here tells a story; he says that on a certain 
early-day Sunday, his proxy being present that morning at 
the Austin home; the fire in the family stove needed re- 
plenishing. The orthodoxly trained Mr. Austin requested 
his nephew, the young Joseph Ballou, to go out, and bring 
in some wood from the door-yard. Presently, Mr. Austin 
looking out from a window, discovered Joseph in the act 
of chopping the wood to bring in. This was too nnich. 
What! Breaking of the Sabbath? — Mr. Austin hastened to 
the door and called out to the young man to "put that ax 
down." It seemed that Mr. Austin on Saturday morning, 
before going from home, had told Joseph to take the oxen 
and haul home some wood, and cut it up, ready for the 
stove to last over Sunday. He had hauled the wood home, 
from a not faraway grove, but for some ' reason he had 
failed to cut it up for the stove. Query: — Did they have 
any more fire in the stove that cold Sundav? 



COLONY TOWNSHIP ORGANIZED. 

On February i, 1858, the Adams county court, acting 
on petition from Nevin, set off township /T,, of range 32, 
to be called "Colony" township. This was the third township 
organized in the county; Quincy and Jasper townships be- 
ing previous. At an election ordered to be held at the New 
England House in Nevin, on Monday April 5th, the fol- 
lowing township ofificers were chosen: John Bixby, J. L. 
Ellis, and R. H. Eastman, trustees; B. O. Stephenson, 
township clerk; J. L. Ellis and R. Stephenson, justices of 
the peace.; G. F. Bixby and R. H. Eastman, constables. 
There were seven voters, all of whom voted for the same 
candidates for township ofificers. There were seven votes 
cast for a "hog and sheep restraining law." On the county 
ticket, the full sven votes were cast for Benj. Neal to be 
county judge. It would seem that the Quincy democrats 
did not mistrust that Nevin possessed a democratic voter, 
and so the place was not canvassed; otherwise Wm. A. 
Shields might have secured the vote of R. Stephenson. 

Three weeks later Mr. R. H. Eastman returned east, 
and Mr. G. F. Bixby was appointed trustee in his place. 



A SURPRISE PARTY. 

February 19th, 1858, was moderately cold; and the 
sleighing was good. The Fontanelle settlers wanted to see 



THE STORY OF NEVIN. 59 

Nevin and meet the wintering Yankees there, as well as to 
enjoy a sleigh-riding party on a lark. So they, to the 
number of thirty-five persons, in the afternoon took their 
driving outfits and invaded Nevin from the north, putting 
up at the hotel early in the evening. With the many ad- 
ditions of the village folks who came in to welcome the 
invaders, they all had a great social time. Mr. Ellis had 
been to Fontanelle in the forenoon and while there he had 
discovered their surprise party plans. When he reached 
home in the afternoon, he gave Mrs. Stephenson a hint of 
what was impending from the north. The hotel folks soon 
had a pork ham on to boil, and Mrs. Stephenson sent over 
to her near neighbor, Mrs. Ellis, to see if she had any eggs 
on hand, that she could spare her. The Fontanellians got 
their supper all right, and in good season. The folks, after 
supper, spent the night in talking, dancing, card and chess 
playing, some songs of mirth, and other amusements; keep- 
ing it up till daylight, then the Fontanellers had breakfast 
before starting for home. The staid Nevinites, however, 
went home much earlier. 



AMASA CHILD. 



Mr. Amasa Child, the "tall" farmer, from the Wooden 
Nutmeg State, came to the New England Colony, on the 
7th of April, 1858. He soon bought an ox-team, and did 
prairie breaking for himself and for others ; and other team- 
ing, during the summer. Late in the season he built a 
dwelling on the southeast corner of his lo-acre lot. No. 10. 
Then he returned east and late in November brought his 
wife, Sarah, and their two small daughters, Mary Ella and 
Emma Myra, to Nevin, and occupied their house and home 
till 1864, when they sold out and moved to Des Moines; 
the next year moving to Green county, where thev still 
live. Their five children are all married. Mr. and Mrs. Child 
celebrated their fiftieth wedding anniversary at Jefferson, on 
Monday, February 25, 1901. 



EARLY BIRTHS. 



On April 17th, 1858, "Alden Porter," the first child 
and son of Mr. and Mrs. J. L. Ellis, was born. This was 
the first birth within Nevin limits. 



6o THE STORY OF NEVIN. 

On February 22d, 1859, "Minnie," the first daughter 
of Mr. and Mrs. John Bixby, was born. The second birth 
in Nevin. 

On April 15th, 1859, "Sophia," the only daughter of 
Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Hoskins, was born. The third birth 
in Nevin. 

On July i6th, 1859, "Julia," the first child and daughter 
of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Beath, was born. The fourth Nevin 
birth. 

On August 24th, 1859, "Walter March," the second son 
of Mr. and Mrs. J. L. Ellis, was born. The fifth birth in 
Nevin. 

On August 28th, 1859, a third daughter and child was 
born to Mr. and Mrs. M. J. Hazeltine. This was the sixth 
birth in Nevin. 

On February 14th, i860, "Fred Harlow," the first child 
and son of Mr. and Mrs. A. M. Norman, was born. The 
seventh birth in Nevin. 



THE HARLOWS. 



The Harlow brothers, Arad T. and Ivory, with their 
sister wives, were of Plymouth Colony ancestors, and were 
born near Duxbury. After many years of life there, they 
lived in East Boston; from there Arad and his wife, Aug- 
usta, with Ivory's son James, and Mr. Abram Buell, came 
to Nevin as settlers on May 5th, 1858. Mr. Buell had left 
his famliy, as Mr. and Mrs. Harlow had left their daughter 
Julia, in the east, to come west later on. Arad, together 
with Ivory and their brother-in-law, Mr. Pease, had bought 
from Turner and Smith, the Boston land speculators, pre- 
vious to starting; 160-acre lot No. 20. This farm lot they 
divided; to Arad the easterly 1-3; to Ivory the next or 
middle 1-3; and to Mr. Pease the westerly 1-3, of the quar- 
ter section. "Uncle" Arad had bought also, 2 1-2-acre lot 
No. 29, as well as a lo-acre lot. 

Mr. A. T. Harlow had been a farmer in former days, 
in the Plymouth Colony country, and thought to resume 
that occupation in this new land. Upon arrival, the four 
adventurers found quarters at the hotel, while Arad and 
James, the carpenter, proceeded at once to build a tem- 
porary cabin, or small house, wherein to dwell, while the 
men, or James rather, should build the Harlow house 
proper, on the 2 1-2-acre lot south of the village centre. 



THE STORY OF NEVIN. 6i 

For some unknown reason, the small house was erected on 
the slope that lies between the present school house and 
the Methodist church, about two-thirds of the distance 
from the school house to the church. In August, after they 
had lived there nearly three months, they with oxen hauled 
it to the lot on which James was now building the larger 
dwelling. The Harlows continued to live in the crowded 
small house until the following April, when James had 
gotten the house near enough to completion, to permit of 
its being occupied by the crowded families. Soon after 
that, the "movable house" was hauled to the north part of 
the Ivory Harlow farm land, and was there enlarged and 
fixed up for the "Ivory" family. They moving in in May, 
to try amateur farming. 

Mr. Ivory Harlow and wife had come to Nevin in 
September, as mentioned herein, elsewhere; and had lived 
with the "Arad" family over winter. "Uncle Ivory" and 
his wife Olive, in their new house and home on the ridge, 
soon tired of rural life in the west; and so they went back 
to the old Bay state, where he was a missionary at large, 
among the needy in South Boston, for some years; before 
they again visited the "Great West." 

Aunt Augusta was the first woman settler of 1858. 
She and Uncle Arad sold their village place in 1861, and 
moved away. In the spring of 1870, they, and the Nor- 
mans, returned again to Nevin, and opened up new farms. 
Mr. and Mrs. Arad Harlow celebrated their golden wedding 
in southwestern Kansas, at the Norman home, October 2, 
1886. 



THE CHAMBERLAINS. 

May 6th, 1858, was the day that the four persons: 
Mr. Peter P. Chamberlain, his wife, Sarah, their daughter 
Phebe, and his man, Abram Hubbard, came to this Nevin 
colony. They were from Saybrook, Ashtabula county, 
Ohio. They first came to Cleveland by sailing vessel; 
thence by steamer to Detroit, and thence by railroad to 
Iowa City. Here they stopped a week, resting and fixing 
up their two teams, that they had along with them from 
Ohio, for the overland journey to the new "Athens" of the 
west. Then loading on their goods and passengers, they 
drove safely on to their destination. 

Mr. Chamberlain had bought land here from Turner 
and Smith, before leaving Ohio; but, as there was no house 



62 THE STORY OF NEVIN. 

on it, they too, had to room and board at the hotel, until 
he could build a structure, into which they and their things 
could be moved. He bought the Elliott grove 40 acres, 
having previously arranged with Mr. McDougall and Mr. 
George White, that they should have 10 acres off the north 
end. The land had a fine body of black walnut and other 
trees, forming the grove. Again he bought land ; this time 
2 i-2-acre lot No. 100, to build upon. Then he at once 
proceeded to get a barn frame, by hewing some timber 
from his grove. He also cut logs and hauled from it to 
Day & Co.'s mill, where they were sawed, and the lumber 
was hauled to his building lot. The barn was completed 
in August, and the family soon moved into a part of it. 
Here they lived and kept house about fourteen months. 
The lot in later years became "Jewett's 4th- of July grove." 



COMING OF THE JEWETTS. 

It was late on Saturday, May 8th, 1858, when the 
Jewett party, consisting of Mr. John Jewett, his wife Nancy 
E., and their four children, Sarah E., Adelia, Quimby and 
Oliver, also two other young men, Messrs. Longfellow and 
King, all from the "Pine Tree" state, arrived at the Austin 
home to rest over night. The next day they drove to Nevin's 
young village. The hotel being now full they went to 
Mr. Ellis's, where they rented rooms for housekeeping, 
until Mr. Jewett could build them a house on 2 1-2-acre lots 
Nos. loi and 102. He was both farmer and carpenter, so, 
he built his own house, a one-story, native lumber domicile; 
into which they moved on the 4th of August, 1858. He 
bought a pair of oxen and engaged in farming. He dis- 
posed of his west-of-the-creek land, later on, buying village 
lots suf^cient to complete his village farm. The daughters, 
Sarah and Adelia, were school teachers many years, before 
getting married. 

Mr. Jewett and Mr. Ellis became the leading tree 
growers of the place. Mr. Jewett's specialty was black 
walnut and maple; while that of Mr. Ellis was evergreens 
and maple. 



MR. TURNER'S STEAMBOAT. 

The recent rains had so raised Nevin streams that on 
May 24th and 25th, they were out of their banks and were 



THE STORY OF NEVIN. 63 

all over the bordering low lands. During the second day's 
freshet, a two mule team was noticed, by persons at the 
hotel, coming from the direction of Afton. Soon after- 
wards it had arrived at the brow of "Adams" hill (later the 
Adam McKeen farm), and signs were being made by the 
men with the team to those at the hotel, calling for help 
to cross the river. We are not aware that they used the 
modern war heliographic method; but their signs were un- 
derstood by the men in the village — that help was needed 
by the travelers. 

Tlie villagers responded promptly; a pair of horses was 
hitched to a wagon having a tight box, nearby, men, with 
long poles and ropes were loaded in, and all were driven 
to the brink of the flowing waters, at a point nearly op- 
posite the waiting team. They then took ofif the wagon 
box, hitched ropes to it, and shoved it ofif with two men 
therein, and poles to guide the craft into and across the 
quarter of a mile wide stream of water. Our Boston friend, 
Mr. R. W .Turner was there waiting to be ferried over. 
This was soon and safely done; and then on to the New 
England House, while the Afton team returned home. 

On this crossing adventure "hangs a tale." Men 
coming from Boston tO' Nevin, this summer, later in the 
year, made report, that upon their inquiries of Mr. Turner, 
as to there being any navigable river near to his new town 
in the Hawkeye state; Mr. Turner replied: "O yes! there 
is a line stream quite close to the village, large enough for 
a steamboat to run." 

Bystander remarks here: that even a Bostonian should 
have known enough about Iowa geography not to ask such 
a question seriously of Mr. Roswell W. Turner. And so, 
Mr. Turner could be excused for giving the answer that 
he did; he may have thought the inquirers could readily 
see that his reply was intended only as a joke, at their ex- 
pense, though based on the big May freshet of 1858. 

At the end of a two weeks' visit our steamboat "joker" 
returned to his Massachusetts Bay home. He never again 
came to see their wonderful colony, except once, — a nine 
days' business trip in the fall of i860. 



A LAW SUIT. 



The first law suit in the New England Colony jur- 
isdiction, was on the loth of June, 1858. It was an appeal 



64 THE STORY OF NEVIN. 

case, from Piatt township, Union county; Robert Perigo 
against John Hanna; action for damages, in detention' of 
oxen. It was first brought before Justice Stephenson, and 
was then changed to Justice Ellis for trial, and by him was 
laid over till the following morning. At which time the 
case was tried, and judgment rendered against Mr. John 
Hanna for $20 and costs of suit. Afterwards the case was 
appealed to district court at Quincy. Messrs. Samuel Riggs 
and Josiah Elliott giving the proper appeal bond. Pa- 
pers were sent to the court in July (25th). 

In connection with this suit we have an instance of 
official pluck, which we give: When the case was called on 
the morning of the second day, it was found that a copy of 
"Session Laws" was needed from the township of Piatt. 
Mr. Jonathan Whipple, constable from there, was present, 
and he was sent ofT to get the book. The streams in that 
direction were high from recent rains, and the few low 
bridges were either gone or out of sight. Mr. Whipple, 
however, made the trip in good time. The Barnett stream 
had to be crossed by swimming, Whipple holding his book 
over his head as he swam, so that it would not get wet. 
Finding his feet trappings were cumbersome, he at that 
point drew them ofif and came to Nevin in his bare feet, 
at a dog trot, and tired enough. 



RELIGIOUS MEETINGS RESUMED. 

The religious meetings, suspended the fall before, 
were resumed on Sunday afternoon. May 9th, at the hotel 
dining room, in the form of a prayer meeting. Sunday 
school was resumed on June 20th, at the same place. Late 
in August, they both were changed to Mr. Chamberlain's 
just completed barn. In December Mr. Chamberlain 
needing all his barn room for his own use, the meetings 
were again changed to the hotel. On January 9th, 1859, 
the meetings were transferred to the just finished first 
school house. This building was situated on lots Nos. 4 
and 5, in block J, west of the common. From now on, 
the meetings for preaching were intermittent for nearly 
eighteen months. Some Congregational minister would 
come occasionally from Tabor, Quincy, or Fontanelle, un- 
til July I, i860, when Rev. Increase S. Davis, from Adair 
county, became the pastor of the Congregational church 
of Nevin. During the preceding eighteen months, the 



THE STORY OF NEVIN. 65 

Sunday preaching services were interspersed with the 
reading of sermons, written by Rev. H. W. Beecher, and 
by others. 

A Rev. Todd, Methodist, of Greenfield, occasionally 
held meetings at this school house from June, 1859. 



FIRST SCHOOL IN NEVIN. 

Nevin school district, embracing the thirty-six square 
miles of Colony township, was organized March 20th, 
1858, by the election of the following officers: R. Stephen- 
son, president; B. O. Stephenson, secretary, and J. L. Ellis, 
treasurer. Sometime in June of this year, the first school 
in Nevin was opened, in the hotel office. Miss Phebe 
Chamberlain taught eight weeks. The register of the 
school is missing, but the following children are thought 
to have been her pupils: Judson, Lydia, Olive, and Joseph 
Harris; Adelia, Quimby, and Oliver Jewett; Mary and 
Charly Stephenson; John and Warren Bixby; Minnie and 
Mattie Hazeltine, and Martha Austin, 



REV. N. HARRIS'S VISIT. 

Rev. Norman Harris, from Hamilton, N. Y., came to 
Nevin the second time, the same day in May that the Haz- 
eltines came. He preached to a gathering of Nevinites at 
the hotel the next day, Sunday. Mr. Harris brought his 
first wife's four children here, to be cared for and schooled 
a few years, while he returned to resume missionary work 
in India. He left Judson, Lydia and Olive with the Aus- 
tins; and Joseph was left with the Henry Harrises, who 
were now living in their farm barn-house. 



WHITE— MASON. 



Mr. George White returned to Nevin from a short 
visit to Boston, on June 20th, 1858; his wife Fanny, and 
their two young girls, Edith and Fannie, came with him. 
They at once moved into their new house on the 40-acre 
farm, where the old folks were already living. This house 
having supplanted the very small one built a year earlier, 
the old one now became his cooperage and workshop. 



66 THE STORY OF NEVIN. 

In the fall of 1863 Mr. G. White suspended his Nevin 
farming and went to Des Moines and worked at cooper- 
ing. Early in the following year he took up 
driving a two-horse peddler's wagon from Des 
Moines. In December he rented his farm and 
took his famliy to Des Moines. Later in life he quit ped- 
dling goods over the country and operated a store on Court 
Avenue, and finally got rich. Mr. and Mrs. White are still 
living in Des Moines; while the daughter, Fannie, still un- 
married, has charge of most of the store business. 

The daughter, Edith White, at one period long ago, 
attended school in Des Moines a school mate of William 
E. Mason; eventually, the two married. Later, the Ma- 
sons lived in Chicago. Wm. E. Mason is now a United 
States senator from Illinois. They have an extensive row 
of younger Masons. 



HOSKINS FAMILY. 



On the 20th of June, 1858, Nevin became the tarry- 
ing place of Mr. Joseph Hoskins and his wife Sarah, with 
their two sons, William and George. Mr. Hoskins, born 
and raised in England, was by profession, a painter and a 
plumber. He came to Boston in 1846, and in 1847, ^^^ was 
in the United States service in Mexican waters. He the 
same year, after his return to Boston, married the elder sis- 
ter of Richard Hargrave, who was Nova Scotia born. 
Before starting for Iowa Mr. Hoskins bought the 40-acre 
lot w^here he is now living. He had no funds to use in 
building, so they rented rooms, in the starting village, for 
awhile; and he found some employment in working for 
others, but was not able to improve his farm. 

In August, 1862, he himself, went to the new oil fields 
in Pennsylvania where his brother Edwin, was then em- 
ployed. Later, his family followed him there. In March, 
1867, his wife died there. His second wife, the present 
Martha, was married to him in 1875, at Warren; and about 
1880, they, with their son "Bert," born there, came to 
Nevin again; where he bought an additional 40-acres, and 
where they have pursued farming to some extent. Bert is 
married, and operates the farm. 

William and George, Sarah's sons, are married, and 
have made Nebraska their home, many years. 



THE STORY OF NEVIN. ^j 

NEVINVILLE POSTOFFICE. 

The Nevin settlers were twelve miles from Adair, the 
nearest postoffice. They in 1856 and again in 1857, pe- 
tioned the postoffice department for an office nearby; but 
both petitions were refused, on account of the extra ex- 
pense of supplying the office from Mr. Lock's mail route. 
In 1858 a new mail route was established to run from Win- 
terset, by way of Nevin to Quincy and back, weekly; com- 
mencing July 1st. So the 1858 petition was granted, ex- 
cept that the office was named "Nevinville," instead of 
Nevin as asked; from the reason that there was already a 
postoffice called "Nevin," in Ohio. The office was lo- 
cated in the southwest quarter of section 2, township 73. 
range 32, Adams county. The national administration be- 
ing then democratic, under President Buchanan, Mr. Reu- 
ben Stephenson was made postmaster at Nevinville. The 
first out-going mail, containing thirty-seven letters, was 
sent Wintersetward on July 8th. 



TEN NEW COMERS. 

The latest newcomers to Nevin from the old Bay state 
during 1858, was a party of ten from Boston, who arrived 
on Thursday, September 30th. Their names were: Mr. 
Ivory Harlow, his wife Olive, and their son John; Mrs. 
Abram Buell and two children. Daniel and Mary; Mrs. 
George; Miss Kate Harris; Miss Julia Harlow, and Mrs. 
Almira Beath. The latter, however, was from Michigan, 
since leaving Boston. 



INDEPENDENCE DAY. 

The glorious "Fourth of July" was observed on Mon- 
day, July 5th, by these Yankee settlers. Early in the fore- 
noon quite a number, both of women and men, took teams 
and drove to South grove, quite a stimulating prelude. 
They brought back poles, forked stakes and leafed boughs 
of trees; which were taken to the common, where an ample 
awning or shade was erected; under which the celebration 
was held. A spread-on-table dinner was laid. The "Bos- 
ton" ladies had brought their finest table linen and silver- 
ware with them from the "Hub"; it was all here displayed 
in fine array on the dinner tables. The viands were quite 



68 THE STORY OF NEVIN. 

satisfactory; though it must be remarked that owing to a 
limited supply of dry beans in the place, there was but one 
pot of the proverbial "Boston Baked Beans" on the dinner 
tables, and as a result little Fannie White went from the 
table crying for more beans. 

Sixty-five persons, old and young, all at one sitting, 
took their dinners here. After dinner a hastily arranged 
literary program was carried out as follows: An opening 
prayer was ofifered by Mr. Henry Harris. Then came the 
singing of "America," led by Mr. Hazeltine. After this, 
all present listened to an address by Mr. Chamberlain, the 
Sunday school superintendent, which was especially to 
Sunday school children. Then came more music. After 
that Mr. C. Jones read the "Declaration of Independence." 
Speeches followed. Toasts were given, arid responded to 
by Mr. John Bixby, Mr. George White, Mr. Alexander, 
Mr. Peter Chamberlain, Mr. Arad Harlow and others. 
Towards evening the people again had refreshments at 
the dining table. In the early evening they had a display 
of "fireworks" — homemade of course — they had to be. The 
painter (Mr. Hoskins) had some spirits of turpentine on 
hand and Mr. Stephenson had plenty of candle-wicking 
balls in his store. These two articles were utilized. The 
balls of wicking w'ere thoroughly saturated with the tur- 
pentine, then were set on fire as needed and thrown heaven- 
ward, by hand, a feat severe on the hands. In this, Mr. 
Ellis's skill was more useful than any after dinner speech 
he might attempt. 



A LICENSE TO MARRY. 

Mr. Joseph Beath furnishes the following account of 
how a young couple in the year 1858 obtained a licence to 
marry : 

Mr. Loren Richmond and Miss Celia Whitney, from 
Cass county, had both been working at Stephenson's hotel 
most of the late winter and spring, and had thus became ac- 
quainted with each other. They decided to get married. 
Herewith went a story of the good old times, when every- 
thing was right and easy, according to modern philoso- 
phers. 

This couple had arranged to be married on the morn- 
ing of July 4th, and to go the same day to Whitneyville, 



THE STORY OF NEVIN. 69 

the home of her brother, the late Frank Whitney of At- 
lantic, where friends were to meet them. A necessary ar- 
ticle in the program was a license; but on the day they were 
to go for it, there came one of those "dews" that were so 
common that summer, which sent the water of the river 
just west of the village from bluff to bluff. As the "steam- 
boat" had not yet arrived (except on paper), it looked as 
though there would be no wedding. Saturday morning the 
water was inside the banks, but the bridge was gone. 
So a number of us took a team and wagon, and two other 
horses, which Mr. Richmond and Mr. R. Stephenson, his 
witness, were going to ride. After finding a suitable place 
to cross, we took the wagon box for a boat to run the two 
men over in; but the witness was afraid to venture. Mr. 
Richmond then asked the others if there was any one that 
would go with him, and the writer offered his services. 
Then we could get only one old mare to swim; so, on the 
trip, we had to "ride and tie," turn about. Westly Homan 
was then living in a log house, near where Mr. Kirkpatrick 
now lives, in Carl township. Mrs. Homan was asked for 
the use of a horse to ride to Quincy and back. She said 
that the neighborhood was out on a wolf hunt, but that 
there was a horse in the stable, which we could have after 
it was fed. Then we asked if we could get dinner there. 
She said yes. We had coffee, chicken and corn bread, the 
best she had. After dinner we bridled and saddled our 
horses, were into the road and were ready to mount when a 
man about forty rods away, coming towards us, hallooed, — 
"Where are you going with that horse?" we answered back, 
— To Quincy. "No you don't," said he. We then waited 
until he came up, then told him the urgency of the case. 
He said he couldn't help it; they had run down their horses 
after the wolf and had left him while they got dinner and 
fresh horses; and he was going to have that horse. I al- 
ways thought that, as we were strangers to him, he mis- 
trusted that we might never return the horse. So we had 
to renew our "ride and tie" business. The road by the 
present Cummins place was where it now is, and I was rid- 
ing when we came to the first slough west. The mare 
stopped in the middle of it up to her knees in mud. I 
clucked and coaxed; but no go. I sat there a long time, 
dreading to get off into the mud. Finally, I made up ray 
mind and had raised my foot to get off, when the mare 
raised hers and walked out'. We finally reached Quincy and 
found the county judge could not get there from "Simpson" 



70 THE STORY OF NEVIN. 

later, Brookville, now, Brooks. Good luck, however, struck 
us here at Quincy, for Uncle Bennie Neal was just going 
ro Simpson in a wagon and he said we could ride with him, 
there and back. So we secured the license, came back and 
got supper with Uncle Bennie, the hotel keeper. Then 
Richmond said that he was given out. and it was no use 
talking, he could not walk to Nevin, nor half way there 
that night. So he laid his case before the hotel keeper 
and told him he had only $2.50 with him, but would give 
him that if he would get him to the river west of Nevin 
that night. "Uncle Bennie" told his hired man that he 
would give him half of the money if he would go, which he 
did. We got there about midnight. We found one of the 
stringers of the low bridge, over which we crossed after 
turning the old mare loose. The hired man returned to 
Quincy and was sick for a week after. 

The next day bright and early. Justice Stephenson 
made Loren and Celia man and wife, and they with thank- 
ful hearts went to their new Cass county home. This mar- 
riage was the first in Colony township, and the second wed- 
ding within Nevin limits. 



THE BEATHS. 



In the summer of 1858, Mr. Joseph Beath bought lot 
No. I in block I, and in September commenced to put up 
a small building thereon; later on, it was enlarged. Here 
his family lived until April, i860, when they moved to a 
lOO-acre farm that he had bought from a Mr. Norton, at 
the South grove. Here he did some farming and a little 
blacksmithing. Some years later, the farm was sold to 
Henry Whipple; when, or a few years later, they obtained 
a 40-acre farm southwest of Quincy. In 1875 they sold 
out and bought the first 40 acres of his present nice farm 
in Washington township. Mr. and Mrs. Beath retired 
from active farm life and moved to Corning, a few years 
ago, where they now live in their own quiet home. Their 
five children; Julia, Jennie, John, Frank and Lura, are all 
married and have children, all of the children but one, are 
on Adams countv farms. 



UNCLE MACK. 



The family of Mr. James McDougall came to the 
New England Colony, from the old Maine home, on the 



THE STORY OF NEVIN. 71 

23d of September, 1858. The family consisted of Mrs. 
McDougall and their three children, Mary Ann, Phebe and 
David. They soon moved into their new farm house. Mr. 
McDougall, familiarly called "Uncle Mack," farmed, and 
grew a fine grove of timber. The daughters were school 
teachers. Mary Ann taught the first school held in the 
first Nevin school house. She taught also at other places. 
Phebe taught near Hazel Green, and later she married 
Elisha Day at the mill. She died March 21st, 1861. Mary 
Ann in after years went to Wisconsin, and married later; 
where thev are still living. In September, 1873, she came 
and took her half-crazy mother home with her. Mr. Mc- 
Dougall died in December, 1874. The bodies of Phebe 
Day and Uncle Mack lie peacefully within Rose Hill ceme- 
tery. 

"SIR" RICHARD. 

Richard Hargrave, a younger brother of Mrs. Sarah 
Hoskins, came to Nevin with the Hoskinses in June, 1858. 
He lived a while with the Chamberlains, attending school 
one or more winters. An incident is remembered in con- 
nection with that school term. Judson Harris, also at- 
tended, and at an evening literary exhibition young Har- 
grave and Harris were on opposite sides in a debate. This 
debate is suggestive of the time in later years, when, in 
Chicago, Mr. Hargrave married Miss Mary Buell, the in- 
tended of Mr. Harris. Richard, after his school days were 
over, went to Pennsylvania, and at about seventeen years 
of age he enlisted in the army service. He came back 
safely from the war, and later went to Chicago, where he 
married Mary Buell, who had been a teacher there. They 
then went back to the oil regions, working near Mr. Ed. 
Hoskins. In June, 1868, they, with one child, came to 
Nevin again, having traveled with team overland. 

In their Nevin farm life they lived at different places, 
at one time owning an 80-acre farm west of the J. Hoskins 
farm. Later on they moved to Kansas. Again they moved, 
and settled on a small fruit farm in southwestern Oregon. 
After this he was accidentally killed in a well. Mrs. Har- 
grave remarried. They are 'still in that place, as also are 
the five living Hargrave children, two or more of whom 
are married. 

THE CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH. 
On Saturday, October 30th, 1858, the Congregational 
church at Nevin was formed, in the Chamberlain house- 



73 THE STORY OF NEVIN. 

barn. Rev. Penfield of the Quincy church was in charge 
of the meeting. The following persons then became mem- 
bers: P. P. Chamberlain, his wife, Sarah, and their daugh- 
ter Phebe, A. T. Harlow, his wife, Augusta, and their 
daughter Julia, C. E. Austin and his wife, Amanda, Mrs. 
Almira Beath, Mrs. Theresa M. Ellis, A. Buell, his wife, 
Harriet N., and his diughter Mary, Mrs. Sarah Hoskins, 
Mr. and Mrs. M. J. Hazeltine, and Miss Katie Harris. 
Messrs. Chamberlain and Harlow were chosen deacons. 
Mr. and Mrs. Henry Harris did not become actual mem- 
bers till the following year. 



THE HARRISES. 



Mr. Henry Harris and family, after farming in Nevin 
a few years, and having two girls born to them, removed to 
a fine farm near Winterset, where he stock farmed. They 
had but the three children, all girls, one of whom became 
in after years, a missionary in India, under the direction of 
the Baptist Board of Missions. She died a few days after 
her return home. Mrs. Harris and another daughter have 
also died. 

Judson Harris, nephew of Henry, became a minister, 
and was pastor of a Baptist church in Omaha, having wife 
and children there. He in later years removed to Chicago, 
whei-e he was in some land business about that time. His 
sisters, Lydia and Olive, married and settled in or near 
New York state. Joseph, on the mutual consent of the 
three, married another man's woman, at Greenfield, in De- 
cember, 1876. The next March, between two days, the 
two slid out from. his father's Nevin farm — for Kansas. 
They never after came back to Nevin. 



CARL AND HEBRON. 

During the year 1858, after the new mail route be- 
tween Winterset and Quincy had been operated awhile, 
a postofifice called "Carl" was located about three miles 
east of its present location. Mr. C. Robinson was post- 
master. Later, a postofifice at Schwers, or Hebron, on the 
same route was also established. The new "Hebron" of- 
fice was kept by Mr. N. Finney. Later on, or about the 
fall of 1 86 1, Mr. Finney, shoemaker, exchanged land prop- 
erty with Mr. A. T. Harlow of Nevin, when the Harlow 
and Norman families moved to Hebron, and one of them 



THE STORY OF NEVIN. 73 

became the Hebron postmaster, and operated it until they 
all moved to Des Moines. 



AN HONEST DUTCHMAN. 

Mr. Wilhelm Schwers and his family were Dutch, but 
they could talk English fairly well. He had bought timber 
land on Grand river, and they had settled thereon before 
the summer of 1856. In the fall of that year, he and his 
grown son Reinhart introduced a steam saw-mill on his 
land. Running short of money late in November, they 
hired $300 from Mr. Ellis, then in Greenfield helping Mr. 
Nichols build a stage barn for Mr. Clark. Mr. Ellis, quite 
fresh from Massachusetts, was so unbusinesslike, that he 
exacted no mortgage security for the money loaned them, 
— just a simple promissory note was taken. Interest was at 
the rate of 30 per cent per year, due after ninety days. 
One month's interest was paid in advance. They presum- 
ably expected that before the ninety days had expired, they 
would be sawing and selling lumber. When the time was 
out they had no money to pay the note with; in addition 
to this their creditors "on the saw-mill were calling for a 
payment. Mr. Schwers, however, on the day after ma- 
turity, found a neighbor (^Ir. Augustine), who kindly 
loaned him some gold coin that he had on hand. So, the 
note was largely paid then, and the balance was paid in 
the following spring, without trouble. 

Soon as Mr. W. Schwers could get lumber in quantity 
sawed, he built them a roomy dwelling, where they lived, 
and where they entertained the traveling public that hap- 
pened that wav. Early-day Nevin people, who sometimes 
had occasion to stop there, remarked upon their accom- 
modating hospitalitv. Mrs. Schwers was brisk with fun 
and socialbilitv. They were very honest,— even in a certam 
jug of honey with its rag stopper, that Mrs. S., once on a 
time, sent to Nevin for the Stephenson family. Their table 
fare,' of fried pork, potatoes, corn bread, hot salcratiis bis- 
cuit! and black coffee, was abundant. The furnishings and 
beds, in Nevin folk's estimation, were not alarmingly free 
from extraneous accretions; though there was no extra 
price charged for the animate visitors, that were wont to 
enliven ones body at night, with their nimble operations 
in surgery. 



74 THE STORY OF NEVIN. 

FIRST FAIR AT QUIXCY. 

The new Adams County Agricultural Society held its 
first annual fair, on a lot southeast of the public square, 
Quincy; owned by Mr. E. Y. Burgan; on the 20th of Oc- 
tober, 1858. The day was beautiful. The exhibit was very 
good for a first start; and the attendance also was good as 
could be expected. The Nevin colony people were present 
in impressive numbers. Among the teams from that place 
was that of John Bixby, — a two-horse farm wagon — packed 
full of folks; and that of Alonzo Norman, — a two-horse ve- 
hicle — also full of people. The Nevinites brought no ex- 
hibits this year; but please wait until next year and the 
following year to see what can come "out of Galilee." 

The finances of the society were very limited. Among 
the premiums awarded was one of 75 cents, to John Har- 
nett, as first premium, and one of 50 cents to A. J. Russel, 
as second premium; on short-horn grade bulls. Peter H. 
Lawrence was awarded 50 cents on best 2-year old bull. 
Gid. Bristow was awarded 75 cents on best cow, and J. 
Jones $1 on best yoke of work oxen. Premiums of 50 
cents and of 25 cents were awarded to J. P. Osborn, L. Fry, 
G. Bristow, H. B. Clark and J. Deere, on other stock. 
There seemed to have been no horse premiums. 

The Nevin people that day went to the hotel kept by 
Mr. and Mrs. Benj. Neal, for their dinners, and were given 
a separate table. The good people of the house had heard 
much of the Yankees that were settling near the northeast 
corner of the county, but had seen but few of them, — es- 
pecially of the women. The hostess wa? so engaged in 
serving food, while at the same time watching her Yankee 
guests' movements to see if they expected napkins, and to 
notice how they used their knives and forks, that when 
proceeding to pour their tea (the Nevinites had previously 
called for tea rather than cofifee). from her tea pot, there 
came a stream of pure, colorless hot water; (she had for- 
gotten to put in the tea). This brought her to her normal 
condition of mind. 

In the afternoon the societv elected ofificers for the 
next year as follows: Jwdge John Barnett (re-elected), 
president; P. P. Chamberlain, vice president; B. F. Allen, 
secretary; J. L. Ellis, treasurer; J. W. Morris, B. O. Steph- 
enson, Samuel Larimer, H. B. Clark, W. A. Shields, Gid. 
Bristow and R. Perigo, to be a committee of arrange- 
ments for the year 1859. After that the premiums were 
paid; when all went home quite satisfied. 



THE STORY OF NEVIN. 75 

MR. LAWRENCE'S WHALE. 

At the religious meeting set for Sunday, August 22nd, 
1858, at Mr. Chamberlain's new barn, Mr. Z. Lawrence, 
from his fine farm northwest of the present Carbon, made 
his appearance, and preached a very remarkable and very 
long sermon, to these his co-Yankee friends from the east; 
he himself having come from Maine a few years earlier. 
His text was from Exod. 16:13 and Ps. 74:14. He gave a 
wonderful account of the turning of Jonah's whale into liv- 
ing quails, to feed the Israelites in the wilderness. A child 
happening to cry during the discourse, its mother was 
starting to take it out, when Mr. Lawrence told her to 
"Never mind," as he himself was "father of a dozen and 
one." His talk was so long that it seemed hours in ending. 
Finally, he said that he guessed that they were all tired of 
hearing him preach the "Bible," he would now preach 
"Newspaper," and proceeded to tell about his going to 
Washington city, and into restaurants under the capitol, 
where they sold whisky and other kinds of stimulants. He 
never came back to preach in Nevin again. 

Mr. Zach Lawrence claimed to have been a priva- 
teersman, under United States authority, against provincial 
sailing crafts in Bay of Fundy, oflf the Maine coast, at one 
period during the war of 1812-1814 against Great Britain. 



FARMING AND CROPS IN 1858. 

The crops of the year were quite limited. Mr. Austin, 
who had two teams — one oxen and the other horses, — with 
Joseph to help, did considerable farming, but his tools were 
primitive and few. Mr. Ellis did some farming, driving his 
plodding ox team out two miles west to his land and back, 
each working day, however, took ofi much time. Some 
others had teams and did some farming. There were a 
few small tracts sown to wheat, which grew all right, until 
the superabundance of moisture and heat just before July 
ruined much of the crop; — it largely went to the ground 
with rust. The buckwheat and potato crops were good and 
so was garden truck. The corn crop was rather poor. 
There was a little sorghum grown, but there being no cane- 
mill in Nevin, no molasses was made. Some wild plum 
trees, and wild gooseberry bushes, from the river nooks 
and groves, were set out. The need of fruit compelled 
the use of the native crabapple, and the rather astringent 



76 THE STORY OF NEVIN. 

plum from the groves. Mr. J. Dunlap livmg' at Hazel 
Green grew some sorghum, and having access to a wooden 
cane-mill, he made some molasses, selling some of it to 
several Nevin families at 75 cents per gallon. 



FIRST BRICKS. 



The first kiln of brick made within fifteen miles of 
Nevin colony, was made and burned near Hazel Green, 
by the Hennings, in September, 1858. This enabled the 
Nevin home makers to substitute brick chimneys for the 
previous stove-pipe arrangements. 

Some one passing just as Mr. Hoskins had topped 
out Mr. Ellis's chimney, discovered that he, though a 
plumber, had not made the chimney-top plumb. 



JOB AND RUTH. 

In December, 1858, Mr. Job R. Pierce, came to Nevin, 
and soon after, plastered the new school house. The 
lime needed was burned at Manchester, and hauled in 
bulk to Nevin. He and Ruth, his wife, moved here from 
Arbor Hill, in Adair county, the following May, to plaster 
the hotel. They remained in Nevin till June 20, 1859, when 
they went back to their new farm in that county. Some 
four years later they sold their farm and drove their two- 
horse team, tree and fruit plants on board, overland, to a 
small, fruit farm, among the Missouri blufifs, near White 
Cloud, Kansas; where he grew fine peaches, apples and 
other fruits, for the markets. He died there, leaving Ruth, 
about the year 1891. 

The following poem, by the "Bard of Nevin," was 
written by invitation, for this particular monograph: 

THE PARTY AT ATKINS'S AND PRATT'S. 

O, yes, 'twas a frolicsome time that we had — 

The party at Atkins's and Pratt's; 
Nobody was sorry, nobody was mad. 

But we scared out the dog and the cat. 

Foi it was a surprise, as intended to be; 

And none but the men folks at home. 
And they were dumfounded the people to see. 

And wondered how manv would come. 



THE STORY OF NEVIN. n 

They came from the north, from the south and the west, 

And they came from all over town; 
They hooted and hallooed, like they were possessed, 

Till the pictures and platters came down. 

One, Amasa Child, was chief of the play, 

And others but little behind. 
The din that we made would a savage dismay 

As it rose on the wings of the wind. 

At last we were hungry, and some one proposed 

For the boys now to give us a treat. 
Then Caleb got round in his everyday clothes 

With turnips and frozen pigs feet. 

We passed them around in the handiest way — 

And passing was all that was done— 
So we passed them around in the liveliest way 

And that was the most of the fun. 

When the hours had grown small and the oil burned low 

And but little remained to be said. 
We all started home, like "Kids" from a show, 

So pleased wath the time we had had. 

No one had yet seen such a time as we had; 

'Twas a wander the rafters staid on. 
In the morning the dog and the cats were so glad 

To come home and lind we were gone. 

But we never have learned since that jubilant night 

With sport for all Nevin replete, 
The time that it took them to set matters right 

And to pick up the frozen pigs feet. 

Now you who are living, of all who were there, 

Recalling Old Time in his flight, 
Will smile and grow younger, wherever you are, 

When vou think of that December night. 
March, 1901. G. W. GRANT. 



STRAY ITEMS. 



On August igtK 1857, Mr. Metcalf D. Smith returned 
to Walpole, Mass., to help his childless uncle, Mr. Lewis 



78 THE STORY OF NEVIN. 

Clapp; hoping to get at some future day, the old gentle- 
man's broad acred farm. He sold his ox team outfit before 
leaving Nevin. His Nevin land was rented a few years, 
until finally it too, was sold. "Met," however, never inher- 
ited the old uncle's VValpole farm. 

0)1 June 2jrd, 18^8, the population of Nevin was sixty- 
five; on January ist, 1881, but nine of those persons re- 
mained settlers. 

January of i8^p, was without snow till the night of 
26-27th; when there fell thirty-one inches, on a level in 
the woods. 

On May 2nd, 18 jp, Messrs. C. C. Jones, C. Y. Eastman, 
S. Pierce, W. R. Harlow, and M. Longfellow, suffering 
with an attack of the then prevalent, "Pikes Peak gold 
fever," started for the far ofif "sunset land" for relief; but be- 
fore getting half way there, they were struck with a counter 
state of mind, bringing them all back to Nevin lands, in 
about a month. 

On January pth, i860, death came to Sullivan Pierce, 
two and one-half years a western settler. His widow, 
Ruth, remained in Nevin near two years, much of the time 
as housekeeper at the Hutchings and Grant home; when 
she and her daughter, Georgie, went back to their former 
eastern home. 

Jn i86p, Mr. H. Nock, English puddler, came, and 
bought a village farm. He soon tired, and left after a 
year or two. The Nocks settled in Colorado over twenty 
years ago; where he, Enoch and Tom are prosperous. 



THE STORY OF NEVIN. 79 



Chapter V, 1859 and Latfr. 



LITERARY SOCIETIES. 

On the evening of January 22nd, 1859, the Nevin 
Lyceum was organized at the new school house, and on 
the evening of February ist, its first session was held. 
The question discussed was, "Which Is the greater Evil, 
Intemperence or Slavery?" Occasionally a part of the 
weekly exercises would be a lecture from some one. Among 
the lecturers were Mr. I. Harlow, a Mr. Crista and Miss 
"Debby" Stephenson. 

In December, 1861, a literary society, styled, the 
"Farmer's Club," was formed, to succeed the Nevin_ Ly- 
ceum of 1859. Discussions were had on various subjects, 
at the weekly evening gatherings. Some were agricultural, 
some on social subjects. A few lectures were scattered 
along. One, was from Rev. Davis. The ladies conducted 
a paper, called the "Grand Splurge." Miss Harriett White, 
Miss Mary Stephenson and some others, were, in rotation, 
editors-in-chief. Everything was fine. 

In December, 1862, the winter sessions of the club 
were resumed. Mr. George White gave a lecture upon An- 
cient Agriculture in Egypt. Mr. Caleb Atkins gave a lec- 
ture. The ladies paper discussed and reviewed current 
events, happenings and neighborhood gossip, — in one case 
down, even to young Quimby Jewett's black hen. 

MRS. NORMAN'S LETTER. 

On Thursdav, May 5, 1859, occurred the third wed- 
ding within Nevin limits, Mr. Alonzo M. Norman and Miss 
Julia Harlow were wedded, at her parent's home. Rev. 
Sheets of^ciating. Most of the Nevin people were present 
by invitation. Thev had a big dinner, piano solos, etc. 

This Mrs. Julia Norman, now of Oregon, sent a long 
letter containing remembrances of the very early days of 
Nevin. 10 Mrs. Dr. McDermid, in December, 1897; from 
which the present writer has taken extracts as follows: 
"On September 14th. 1858, we women and children, and 



8o THE STORY OF NEVIN. 

one man, Mr. Ivory Harlow, bade good bye to the east, 
and turned our faces westward. We reached Fairfield, the 
end of the railway then over 150 miles east of Nevin. There 
we found five covered wagons awaiting us and our lug- 
gage, and one for supplies for Stephenson's store. I soon 
recognized my father, Mr. Arad Harlow, in the crowd 
(?) of men awaiting our arrival. I knew his smik, though 
his face was tanned as I had never seen it before. After 
the necessary delay, caused by loading, etc., we were ofT on 
what was to me a novel journey, riding, as we did, in 
'prairie schooners' drawn by oxen. (Then it was thought 
that oxen were best to break prairie with.) I could fill 
pages right here; but will only say we were a jolly com- 
pany of sixteen, traveling for ten or twelve days, sleeping at 
night in barns or houses along the way, — meeting with all 
sorts of experiences, yet ever pressing on^ towards the goal 
before us. The last night of the trip our accommoda- 
tions bid fair to be poor, so the men decided to cross a 
certain creek, and 'camp,' — and then strike out early the 
next morning for Nevin. But alas! the heavy loaded 
wagons made bad work with crossing. Several crossed, 
but one stuck fast. And it was quite a task next morning 
to get us all safely over. We were finally on our way, 
and father said to me 'you will soon see the place where 
your home is to be.' O, how I strained my eyes! I began 
to 'fix up' a little. He laughed. 'No hurry,' he said; 'we 
won't get there yet awhile,' and we didn't, — not till about 
4 o'clock in the afternoon. 

"As I write, I see face after face, — not only of those 
with whom I had been journeying, but of those who greeted 
us. Where are they now? Scattered and gone — most of 
them, — and all changed. Of the seven Harlows who were 
together there that day, I alone remain 'this side.' Little 
Johnnie, an invalid boy whom we brought with us, sur- 
vived the trip only six weeks, and we laid him away. — one 
of the first to die in Nevin; and a white stone marks his 
resting place. Mr. Ivory Harlow was the next to go; he 
died in Denver, Colorado, about twenty years later; then 
'James,' in Denver; then father, in Kansas, in 1887; then 
mother, back in the old Massachusetts home, just before 

Xmas But this has nothing to do with the subject 

before us. 

"My first winter in Nevin was not the first of its exist- 
ence, but there was enough of newness and privation con- 
nected with it to fasten it upon my memory. I was not 
married, and did not feel the care and responsibility of 



THE STORY OF NEVIN. 8i 

anything, yet I remember the good housewives were sorely 
puzzled to make appetizing dishes from musty, sticky flour, 
the flabby pork, the black molasses, and the scarcity of — I 
might say — necessaries. I remember the buckwheat — so 
gritty, from being threshed on the ground, that it soon 
'wore the teeth down,' to eat it. I also remember the 
sorrel tarts and pies, which were regarded as quite a 
luxury after our stock of dried fruit had disappeared. 1 
remember seeing the box containing my piano, out doors 
resting on blocks, and covered with hay to keep out damp- 
ness. Untoward circumstances, fever and ague — one 
thing — had hindered house building, and the little house, in 
which we Harlows managed to exist that first winter, had 
no room for a piano. At last Deacon Chamberlain made 
room for it in his barn (he was living in his barn that win- 
ter). In that barn we held meetings — probably one reason 
being that we might have the use of the piano." 

These two Harlow brothers had married sisters. They 
all four were very lovable in life; in death, the memory of 
them is still pure and fragrant. 

Mr. and Mrs. Norman are still on their southwestern 
Oregon farm. Their six children are living on the Pacific 
coast. Fred, Edd. and Arthur are married, and each have 
one or more children. 



GRANT AND SAWYER. 

The first immigrants to Nevin in 1859, were Mr. George 
W. Grant and Mr. Edwin Sawyer, unmarried, from Maine, 
who came March loth. They proposed to be farmers in 
this aspiring burg, near the crest of southern Iowa. Six 
days later, Mr. Andrew S. March, the mutual friend of 
both Mr. Grant and ^Ir. Ellis, came from Massachusetts 
with his father-in-law, Mr. Solomon Hutchings. to examine 
his western land investment; he having bought the north 
half of the original Ellis quarter section, situated west of the 
village and of the river. Here he located Mr. Grant and 
Mr. Hutchings, to operate his farm. Mr. Hutchings, who 
was a widower, remained in Nevin several years before 
returning to Boston. 

On Sunday morning, September 22, 1861, at the vil- 
lage home of Mr. and Mrs. Ellis; the Rev. I. S. Davis tied 
the knot that made Mr. Grant and Miss Julia Woodward, 
just from the east, man and wife. They at once took up 
housekeeping and home making on the March-Hutchings 



82 THE STORY OF NEVIN. 

farm. After nearly fourteen years of life (mostly near 
Nevin), they, in 1875, went and occupied an 80 acre tract 
of the Alvin Smith land, northwest of the village, that he, 
in 1870, had bought. This land is part of his present farm. 

Mr. and Mrs. Grant several years ago let their farm 
and went to York, Maine, where they occupied the home 
place of her mother, near the sounding ocean. They have 
five children living, three of whom, Hattie, Dwight and 
Benj., are married; the first two have children and reside in 
western Iowa. 

Mr.' Grant's Miss Woodward, like Mr. Ellis's iVliss 
Trask, came all the way from their paternal homes, near the 
sea coast, to be wedded here, to their respective affianced 
husbands. Brother Grant, among other characteristics, is 
a natural poet. Some of his rhymes signed "G. W. G." 
may be found among these pages. 

Mr. Sawyer married Miss Katie Harris, at the Har- 
low home, August 24th, 1859; the fourth marriage in Nevin. 
They lived in or near the place nearly two years; 
when he enlisted, and served "Uncle Sam" nearly 3 1-2 
years; returning in July, 1865. The two were Nevinites 
many years. In 1878 they moved to Prescott, where they 
are still. On Saturday, August 23rd, 1884, their silver wed- 
ding anniversary was observed at their home, by their 
neighbors, and their friends from the old colony. 



DR. TAYLOR. 



Dr. Cephas R. Taylor and family from St. Johnsbury, 
Vermont, relatives of the Hazeltines, came to Nevin in 
June, 1859. Mr. Hazeltine for him, had, in the fall before, 
bought 2 i-2-acre lot No. 118 from Mr. Ellis, at the price 
of $100. On this lot a house was now in process of build- 
ing. Soon as the structure was sufficiently near done, they 
moved in. The Dr. had practice from the start. He was 
the first resident physician in the place. The next physi- 
cian was Dr. R. N. Hall, in the year 1868. On September 
5th, 1859, Dr. Taylor's wife died, and in November the 
eldest daughter died. Soon after Mrs. Taylor's death, 
the doctor sold his place to Mr. Chamebrlain; who, with 
his family, moved in, October 15th, 1859. This, is the 
house where Mr. Jack Bonar now lives. Dr. Taylor and 
his two young daughters went back to his old Vermont 
home during that fall. 



THE STORY OF NEVIN. 83 

THE DEACON'S SHEEP. 

There were deacons and deacons in Nevin history, 
but there never was but one such that kept sheep. The 
Chamberlains, now in their new home, gave their daughter 
Phebe in marriage to Mr. Ambrose Kelley, of Geneva, 
Ohio, on November 8th, 1859. This was the fifth wedding 
within Nevin lands. The memorable house-barn was 
hauled to the new place the next February, and the old 
site sold to Mr. John Jewett. 

The deacon was enterprising in many ways. In August, 
i860, he introduced a flock of nearly 300 sheep from Mis- 
souri; and, by the way, the sheep brought the troublesome 
cocklebur to Nevin farm lands. Having neither fenced 
pastures nor proper shelter in the winters, nor yet tame 
hay, the sheep suffered loss during the storms of the in- 
clement season, that nearly equaled the increase from new 
lambs of the springs. Then he let some of them to Eben 
Davis, the parson's son. Finally about 1866, he sold the 
remainder of his sheep. 

Some old settlers may remember Mr. Chamberlain's 
big breaking plow, drawn by three or four yoke of oxen, 
with which he at a certain time, broke up Nevin common; 
so deep did he plow that some of the corner boundary 
stones were buried so far below the surface that they never 
afterwards could be found. At another time, with some 
six yoke of oxen to his great plow, he plowed in back- 
furrow manner, a road then located running west past the 
Beath shop in Nevin, down through the long bottom of wet 
land, now in Mr. Reed's fenced pasture. Deacon Chamber- 
lain was a leader in the work of the church and Sunday 
school of the place. 

Mrs. Chamberlain, sometimes called "Aunt Sarah," 
was a strong, massive, erect woman, of commanding pres- 
ence. She was the one woman politician of the colony, 
and could ably discuss matters of state. She was well 
versed in American and English history. How many times 
did Mr. Stephenson, or occasionally, Mr. Ellis, or maybe, 
even Mr. Grant — call in during some winter day, (when 
"Peter" would be busy with his sheep and other stock 
chores,) and become quite interested with her talks on 
passing events, as well as the measures of the political 
parties of the day. 

In 1872, Mr. Chamberlain and his versatile wife, get- 
ting somewhat aged, sold their Nevin farm to Mr. O. J. 
Silverthorn, from Muscatine, and moved to Ohio to spend 



84 THE STORY OF NEVIN. 

their later years near Mr. and Mrs. Kelley. Mr. Cham- 
berlain died at Geneva, Ohio, in the year 1877. ^^rs. 
Chamberlain during her latest years was an invalid in the 
family of their children, Mr. and Mrs. Kelley, where she 
was tenderly cared for by them, and where she died June 
2nd, 1900, aged 91 years. 



ALEXANDER. 



Mr. Richard S. Alexander from the rock-ribbed coast 
of northeastern New England, landed within the outlines 
of this incipient "city of the prairies," on May 30, 1858. 
He proposed to do big farming on some land he had pur- 
chased from Messrs. Turner and Smith,- the Boston land 
speculators. He soon began the erection of a cottage upon 
his lo-acre lot No. 56. He also bought some young oxen 
for farm work. His wife Annie, who was a cousin of the 
later coming Mrs. G. W. Grant, came out in November 
following. His house being unfinished they rented room 
in the chamber of the Ellis house. This Mr. Alexander had 
a special talent as a prayer meeting leader. They became 
acquainted with Miss Newcomb, a step-daughter of Col. 
Z. Lawrence, now Mrs. H. G. Ankeny, whom they invited 
to Nevin. She was supposed to have had a most unique 
visit in that cold chamber. They soon tired of farming; so 
he sold his ox team and some of his land, and in May, 
1859, Mr. and Mrs. Alexander and son, returned to the 
east. 



CROPS IN 1859. 

This year, for the first time in Nevin history, there 
was an abundance of corn raised in Nevin. There was 
also some wheat and rye, and plenty of potatoes, and lots 
of small truck. Among other things produced, was Yankee 
pumpkins; one man putting 350 pumpkins and twenty-five 
squashes into his cellar to make pies from over winter. 

The first sorghum molasses ever made in the place was 
made this fall by Mr. Hazeltine. He used a small three- 
roll horizontal iron cane-mill, and a plain black sheet-iron 
boiling pan. 

In 1859, the most of the wheat crop was threshed with 
a mule-power machine from ^lissouri, the first of its use 
in Nevin. In i860, grain in the field, was first cut with a 
horse machine, in the place. Previously the grain cradle 



THE STORY OF NEVIN. 85 

and the flail prevailed. A note is here made that the one 
grain cradle used in the settlement was, in the spring of 
1858, brought by Mr. Chamberlain from his "Saybrook" 
farm. 

This year cattle during the grass season, were herded 
for the first time in the colony. Mr. Abram Hubbard was 
herdsman, driving them out each morning to the unoccu- 
pied prairies, two or three miles east, and returning them 
at night when the owners could each drive their own home 
and in the morning bring them again to the rendezvous 
for the herder. 

The herdsman's wages were provided for by assessing 
a part on the cattle in the herd and the balance upon the 
acreage of the adjacent unfenced land in crops. 

The first live fat hogs sold from Nevin were two 
that Mr. Ellis raised and drove on foot to Riggs's grove, 
twelve miles away on December 2, 1863. They sold for 
$20. Their estimated weight was 730 pounds. 



CHURCH CONFERENCE. 

The Council Blufifs Association of Congregational 
churches, held its fall 1859 meeting in Nevin school house, 
on October 13th and 14th. Rev. John Todd of Tabor was 
moderator. 



THE FAIR OF 1859. 

The Adams County Agricultural Society held its 
second annual fair at Quincy, October 6th and 7th, 1859. 
It used the enclosed court house square. As there was no 
building nor even a tent, at the disposal of the committee 
of arrangements, they had put up temporary brush covered 
sheds near the north fence and under some trees, for the ex- 
hibition tables; and some rail pens for such of the live 
stock as could not conveniently be halter tied. 

The Nevin people were there in liberal numbers. They 
came in various styles of conveyances. Some were drawn 
by oxen and some by horses. The Beaths and EUises came 
together in a farm wagon with "prairie schooner" cover 
drawn by two yoke of oxen, giving an appearance as unique 
as any outfit. But the interior was the most ludicrous of 
all. Mr. Ellis was "ox-puncher." and so he had to walk 
most of the distance. The load consisted of all the common 
and some uncommon farm and garden products, — from a 



86 THE STORY OF NEVIN. 

sack of wheat to a pint of turnip seed, and from a half- 
bushel of beets to a mammoth pumpkin, together with the 
many cuhnary products of Mrs. Elhs's and Mrs. Beath's 
respective pantries. On top of the load of vegetables and 
grain were packed Mr. and Mrs. Beath with their eleven- 
weeks-old daughter Julia and Mrs. Ellis with her two sons, 
Walter seven weeks old and Alden a year and a half old, 
while in the rear of this humanity was a straw mattress 
for the needs of the little ones. In this style of equipment 
they had that morning started from Nevin long before day- 
break, SO' as to be able to get to Quincy about lo o'clock. 

At this period there was quite a settlement at Quincy. 
The people of this county seat hospitably opened their 
homes to entertain the Nevinites over night. Mr. H. B. 
Clark, the merchant of the place and his wife, had a spare 
room with a bed; this was assigned to the Ellises. Mr. 
Beath slept on the floor in the same room. Mrs. Beath and 
child were entertained at a nearby neighbor's home. 

During the second forenoon the fair premiums were 
awarded. A large portion of the vegetable and grain 
premiums were awarded to Nevin competitors. Mrs. 
Beath received premiums for the best wheaten bread, 
and Mrs. Ellis the same for the best Boston brown bread. 
After the premium business was through with the society 
elected ofificers for the next year. 

The fair was considered a success; more especially 
when the inconveniences of the early-day times are con- 
sidered. 



THE SOUTHALLS. 



It was about the last half of May, 1859, that Mr. 
Samuel Southall, English born, with his wife and their two 
daughters, Alice and Lucy, from Providence, R. I., came 
to Nevin. He was a puddler or iron worker in foundries. 
But now he aspired to becoming a worker in lowan soil. 
Before leaving the east he became the owner of a tract of 
the Turner and Smith Nevin land situated just west of the 
H. Harris farm, in Adair county. He had also bought vil- 
lage lots. They lived the first sixteen months in the Alex- 
ander house, where their only son was born; but it lived 
only two or three years. He made improvements on his 
Adair land. They returned east in the fall of i860 and made 
a visit and then came back and moved to their house on the 
farm where he farmed near five years. Then he let his farm 
to Mr. Demery, left his family in rented rooms in the village 



THE STORY OF NEVIN. 87 

and went himself east again to work at his former trade. 
After replenishing his money credits sufficiently he returned 
and bought the Amasa Child property near the George 
White 40-acre lot. Here they lived some years. Later on 
he again went east to earn more money and after awhile 
his wife went to him now at Rome, New York, where they 
have lived many years; probably thirty. The two daughters 
married brothers by the name of Wilson, long years ago. 
They all are supposed to be alive and still at the city of 
Rome. 



THREE WHIPPLE BROTHERS. 

There were six (or more) families by the name of 
"Whipple," from near Mystic in Connecticut, that came to 
eastern Adams county at an early period. Some of them 
were brothers and some cousins. AH of the six families — 
with one exception — were Nevin residents at some time or 
other. Some had longer and some shorter resident periods. 
The three brothers, Jonathan, Henry and Daniel, had suf- 
ficient identification with Nevin's early history to be en- 
titled to a place in this story. 

Mr. Henry Whipple and his family were early-day set- 
tlers in the county. He, in 1868, bought out Mr. Beath's 
interest in the lOO-acre farm at the South grove and farmed 
it a few years. Later on he sold the place to John Crisin- 
ger and bought the moved-over Goodwin house, and lot, 
just north of the D. Scott place. In March, 1878, he felt 
that he had a "call" to go farther west. So he bought Mr. 
Ellis's sixteen-year-old mules at the price of $225, on six 
months' time, secured by a mortgage on his home — fixed up 
a "prairie schooner," took his wife, Desire, on board and 
started on a trip across the "plains" for the gold regions 
beyond. They never again lived in Nevin. (Whatever 
ending old "Topsy and Beauregard," the ancient mules, 
came to, "never was told.") Mr. and Mrs. Whipple, after 
their "mule-team" expedition to Colorado, lived in Kansas 
a while; where she died. Later still, "Uncle" Henry emi- 
grated to the Oregon coast, where he and his sons, William 
and Nelson with their sister-wives, have lived many years. 
Each of these two sons' families had numbered ten children, 
all of whom, except three of William's, are now living there. 
Horace, the third son of Uncle Henry, married Miss Adelia 
Jewett m Nevin many years ago; they, with their three or 
four children, are living in the Gunnison Valley, Colorado. 
Recently Henry has been making his home with his son 
Horace's family. 



88 THE STORY OF NEVIN. 

Mr. Jonathan Whipple with his wife, Alary Ann and 
three children, came west as soon as 1856, stopping for 
several years near the William Whipple farm. These two 
men (and sometimes their wives) were prairie breakers, for 
a season or more. Jonathan's family came to Nevin to 
live as soon as 1861 and were there two or three years. 
Later, they had a farm four miles south of Nevin where 
he, in 1872, set out an orchard. They later lived many years 
in Kansas City where the families of Jonathan and" son 
Ambrose still reside, as well as son Harly and his famliv. 
Jonathan and his children Emaline. Ambrose and Eugene 
are dead. Edgar lives, or has lived many years, in Ari- 
zona. 

Mr. Daniel Whipple the last of the three brothers to 
come west, came with his wife, Hannah and children, 
Daniel, Chauncy and Jessie, to Nevin direct in 1868. They 
occupied the "Lloyd" shack of a house west of the creek, 
several years; renting the Met Smith breaking. After a few 
years he acquired the land across the road west from Mrs. 
Sarah Ball's present home farm. Mr. Whipple c.ied sud- 
denly on November loth. 1885. Chauncy married and at 
a later date operated his mother's farm several years. Then 
they lived on his Nevin village farm two years. Since then 
he and his numerous family have farmed in Oklahoma 
about seven years. Their very latest removal is to Utah. 
Jessie married Mr. Horace Fisk. They are Oregon farm- 
ers. "Uncle" Daniel in 1874, built the Nevin Congrega- 
tional church. "Aunt" Hannah, now over 82 years of age, 
is living with her thrice-married daughter Emily in or near 
Creston. 



THE SPRAGUES. 



Mr. Ira A. Sprague and family from Ohio came to the 
colony in the spring of 1863. He bought the Alexander- 
Pratt-Atkins place. The sons, Charles and Robert, farmed 
some, while the father started a blacksmith shop. They all 
three soon developed into machinists. About 1873 they 
sold their land and removed to Glenwood, where they es- 
tablished a small iron foundry and in connection a machine 
repair shop. Here, in the year 1874, they cast the sash- 
weights that Mr. Sprague gave for the new church in Nevin. 
Here is where the beautiful daughter Jessie married 
and where she taught school. Robert also married in Glen- 
wood. Later in life they all removed to Council BlufTs and 
here enlarged their foundry and machine business. "The 



THE STORY OF NEVIN. 89 

Sprague Iron Works Co.," now operate extensive works, 
and employ fifteen to twenty workmen. 

Charles never married. The old couple are still in 
health though Mr. Sprague is beyond the activities of life. 



ATKINS BROTHERS. 

On the 24th of April, 1861, Mr. and Mrs. Chas. H. 
Atkins and their sons, Henry and Walter; 2\Ir. Caleb B. 
Atkins; Mr. George Atkins, and Mr. and Mrs. George 
Pratt, all from near Boston, arrived in the second "Hub," 
Nevin. Some of them had bought out the Alexander in- 
terest in the later Sprague property. They fixed up the 
native lumber house into proper condition and then some 
of them lived there. This is the house where Mr. Grant lo- 
cates his poem, "The Party at Atkins's and Pratt's." The 
Pratts remained in the west till late in 1862 only. Charles 
Atkins and family remained some three years when, moving 
to Des Aloines. he engaged in the housebuilding business. 
His wife died there. Later he married the soldiers-widow of 
his deceased brother George. He with his new wife moved 
to the north Pacific coast where they still remain. 

Caleb B. Atkins remained in Nevin a number of years 
farming some and teaching school some. On the evening 
of December 24, 1863, he married Miss 3.1ary Stephenson. 
A nice wedding party, with light refreshments, was had 
at the hotel. Later they moved to Glenwood where he 
was in business and was a county official one term. Later 
on they, with their daughter Fayetta, moved to Chicago. 
Later still they removed to Des IMoines. Here they have 
lived many years and prospered. Fayetta married a son of 
General J. B. Weaver. They have two children and reside 
in Des Moines. 



CONTRABANDS. 



On April ist, 1862, Nevin became the tarrying place 
of about a dozen nogroes, — men, women and children. 
They came from Missouri and remained about eighteen 
months. While in the place they lived in a log cabin built 
for them free of charge by the Nevinites. It stood near the 
present house of Chas. Miner. It disappeared soon after 
the negroes left for Des Moines. This was the only log 
dwelling ever built on Nevin lands. The two log houses 
once on the Norton-Beath-Whipple-Chrisinger place at 
South grove was half a mile beyond Nevin land limits. 



90 THE STORY OF NEVIN. 

THE BUELL FAMILY. 

Mr. Abram Buell who in May, 1858, came from Bos- 
ton to the settlement of the New England Colony of Iowa, 
moved with his family in April i860, into the house on the 
Ivory Harlow farm, south of the village. Here Mrs. Buell 
was killed in the falling house during the tornado of May 
5th, i860. In March. 1861, Mr. Buell married his third 
wife. Miss Harriett White, sister of Mr. George White. 
They rented rooms till the spring of 1862 when the Buell 
family, together with Mr. and Mrs. Joseph White and John 
White, removed to Illinois. Soon after this the two families 
moved to a purchased farm at or near Waukegan. whfTe 
they farmed. John White went into business in Chicago. 
Old Mr. and Mrs. Joseph White died after a few years of 
life in the Buell family. Later on Mr. Buell also died there 
on the farm. 

The son Daniel Buell, enlisted and served in the Union 
army, and in due time returned. He afterwards worked in 
a Wisconsin lumber mill until by accident his foot was 
severely injured, when he returned to Nevin where his sister 
Mary Hargrave lived. He later married Miss Mary Beebe, 
by whom he had one daughter. The widow (and daugh- 
ter), is still living at Nevin, where she is the Nevinville 
postmistress. 

Mary Buell, the sister of Daniel, was a teacher in Chi- 
cago, until she married Mr. Richard Hargrave after re- 
jecting Mr. Judson Harris who had gone there to marry 
her and who then planned to be a missionary. 



THE JOHN BIXBYS. 

On June 20th Mr. John Bixby returned from a short 
visit to his old Vermont home bringing with him his 
wife and their two children, John and Warren. Here in 
Nevin Mr. Bixby built them a dwelling which was sit- 
uated on the northwest corner of block F, the present Beebe 
house, where they lived about four and one-half years. He 
was elected clerk of the Adams county court and moved to 
Quincy in season to assume of^ce January i, 1863. He 
was twice re-elected to the same office. He removed with 
his family from Quincy to Corning about the same time 
that the county seat was removed to Corning, 1873. Here 
he built the house where their son John Bixby and family 
now live. He kept a law and land office. Since then he, 
his v/de and the Nevin-born daughter, Minnie, have all 



THE STORY OF NEVIN. 91 

died. The four remaining children, John, Warren, Hattie 
and Bell, are married and are residing in or near Corning. 



AUSTIN— BALLOU. 



Mr. and Mrs. Chas. E. Austin, the co-pioneers with 
Mr. and Mrs. Ellis, before referred to, remained on his 
Nevin farm till November, 1869, when, having sold the 
farm to Mr. L. J. Gray they next settled on a small fruit 
farm in Hammonton, New Jersey, in the spring of 1870. 
Here he died after a few years. Mrs. Austin is now living 
in Hampden county, Massachusetts, and she still mourns 
the loss of their only child, Martha, who died in Nevin the 
8th of December, 1865. 

Mr. Joseph Ballou, the nephew of the Austins and who 
when a lad, came to Nevin with them, soon tired of his 
Nevin home. So, one Sunday, the young man started from 
the Austin home afoot with his Bible in his hand, to go 
to Sunday school in the village. He, however, did not ap- 
pear at the place appointed for the school, but instead he 
walked to Afton that day and sold the Bible to a party 
there for his overnight entertainment. He w-ent on as far 
as Osceola in the next county where he found friendly 
people and remained. He served in the army was severely 
wounded and returned home. He married at that place, 
and he now is a grandfather. Mr. Ballou is still at Osceola, 
many years a trusted employe of the C. B. & Q. Railroad 
Company. 



JEWETT— BUGBEE. 

Mr. John Jewett, after over twenty years of farm life 
in their first small dwelling in Nevin, substituted for it a 
nice modern cottage on the old site, and fixed up his home 
place in a tasty manner with trees, shrubs and plants. Here 
the family lived many years and here Mr. Jewett died on 
April 13th, 1886. Mrs. Jewett, affectionately called "Grand 
Ma" Jewett, still makes it her home. 

Sarah E., the eldest daughter taught the first school 
in Carl township during the summer of 1858. She, on June 
i6th, 1864, was united in marriage with Mr. Sherman H. 
Bugbee, a tall Vermonter that came west in 1858 or '59. 
They settled at Quincy the next spring. Here he was a 
dealer in farming tools. He was county judge one term, 
and was county auditor by appointment for a while. He died 



92 THE STORY OF NEVIN. 

in July, 1869. Mrs. Bugbee returned to Nevin and in Feb- 
ruary, 1875, was married to Mr. Fred N. Ball. Here in 
Nevin they had four children. Mr. Ball died on his west 
Nevin farm in October, 1892. Mrs. Ball is still living on 
the farm. The daughter Alary is a farmer's wife. 

Adelia, the second daugter of John, married Horace 
Whipple, they and their children have been in Colorado 
many years. 

Quimby, the would-be soldier, eldest son of John, died 
in March, 1864, at a hospital in Davenport, on his way 
from Des Moines to enter volunteer army service. 

Oliver, the other son, with his second wife and the 
children of both wives, are living in southern Kansas. He 
is farming on an extensive scale on delinquent-tax lands. 
His five children (two of them by his deceased first wife) 
are all sons. 

Clara, the youngest offspring of John and Nancy, with 
her husband, Mr. Albert Delany, are Nevin farmers. They 
have five children. 

Mrs. Nancy E. Jewett. Mrs. Sarah E. Ball, and Mr. 
Joseph Hoskins, are the only persons now residing on Ne- 
vin lands, out ol all the adult settlers of 1856, '57 and '58. 

We should have said before that on the 29th of De- 
cember, 1880, Mr. and Mrs. Jewett celebrated their fortieth 
wedding anniversary, at their Nevin home. They had a 
goodly number of invited friends as guests at their pleasant 
gathering. A sumptuous dinner was enjoyed; beautiful 
presents were received and a delightful time was spent in 
social converse and in reminiscent stories of the early-days. 



STEPHENSON— COLOR-LINE. 

During the opening days of the civil war Mr. B. O. 
Stephenson of the New England House, had in his employ 
a black man, once a southern slave. One day Judge Bar- 
nett, a democrat of ante-war times, having come from his 
farm, a few miles west of Ouincy and being in Nevin vil- 
lage at noon time, came to the hotel for his dinner. Mr. 
Stephenson, knowing the gentleman, with a sly wink to the 
table waiter, had the chairs so placed that the negro's seat 
was next to that of the judge. The dining table was seated 
quite closely and it was soon manifest that the gentleman 
was much annoyed to have to sit at the dinner table by the 



THE STORY OF NEVIN. 93 

side of a "nigga." But he did not break out until after finish- 
ing his meal. It was said that Mr. Barnett was never known 
to have gone there again for his dinner. 

Mr. Stephenson, after operating the hotel about nine 
years, sold it in October, 1866, to Mr. Nelson Finney, in 
exchange for the Arad Harlow-Finney property, in the 
village. The next year he built the later Knowles-Stewart 
cottage to which house he then moved. In December, 
1869, his self-denying wife, Persis, died. In the following 
autumn he married Miss Amanda Emmons a school 
teacher, formerly from New York state. In the spring of 
187 1, the two moved to the E. Emmons farm, near the 
village of Spaulding, in Union county, here Mr. Stephenson 
became a farmer and as years went by they raised four 
children. In 1889 they moved to Corning where Mrs. 
Stephenson, an invalid for near sixteen years, died. The 
aged Mr. Stephenson is still living there. Of the children, 
Stella and Arthur are married, he is in business in Okla- 
homa. Walter served in the army, in the Philippines. 



THE ELLIS FAMILY. 

Mr. Ellis worked his west-of-the-creek land (the 
present Cleland farm) till 1867-8, when he sold it to Josiah 
Wilson and bought lots — extending his village farm to 140 
acres. After about thirty-four years of farm life in Nevin, 
Mr. and Mrs. Ellis sold their home farm, — the most of it to 
Mr. Chauncy Whipple, and in December, 189 1, they moved 
to Tabor, Iowa. Here they are now living quietly in their 
new house and home place, embellished with trees and 
shrubs of his own planting, with martins and other semi- 
domestic birds in their seasons to help make their declin- 
ing days cheerful. 

Their five surviving children, Walter, George, Lizzie, 
Theresa and Robert, are all of age and are abroad in the 
business world for themselves. The three first named are 
married and have children. Each of the three married is 
living in a different state. 

Walter Ellis was ordained a minister in 1884, and in 
1892 was installed as pastor of the Congregational church 
in Elroy, Wisconsin, where he still officiates. He w'as the 
first and is the only native-born Nevinite to become a 
preacher. 



94 THE STORY OF NEVIN. 

We will remark here that on June 7th, 1887, Mr. and 
Mrs. J. L. Ellis celebrated their thirtieth wedding anni- 
versary; having thirty especial friends as their invited 
guests. The gathering of children and friends was at the 
family home, the fine dinner and the social time was at and 
around the tables set amidst the evergreen trees in their 
park just across the street from the house. It was a very 
enjoyable occasion to all. 



THE GREAT TORNADO. 

The spring of i860 was without rain for many days 
previous to May 5th. That morning it was still dry and 
cloudless. Towards night a dark, heavy bank appeared 
above the western horizon and very gradually spread over 
the sky, giving indications of speedy showers to awaken 
the delayed springing of grass, herb and seed. At 10:45 
o'clock in the evening a terrific storm from the west burst 
upon the place. First wind and rain, then a perfect tor- 
nado swept across the colony lands and vicinity, the cen- 
tre passing at or near the south portion of 
Nevin. Its path was marked by death and destruction. It 
blew down and twisted off trees along the streams and 
groves. The I. Harlow house south of the village in which 
the Buell family were then living, was a total wreck. Mrs. 
Buell was killed in the falling structure. Mr. Death's log 
house at the grove, in which the Beaths were living, was 
mostly blown off. The vacant Beath shop in the village was 
strewed in fragments to the "four winds." The Bixby car- 
penter shop lost one end entirely. The hotel barn was 
partly unroofed and the Jewett house was severely shaken 
up, letting one end of the chamber floor-joist, with its load 
of beds and children, down into the bed room below. Other 
buildings in the place were not materially damaged. 



A BOVINE RIDE. 



A neighbor tells the following "yarn": Late in the 
summer of i860 or '61, when grass was green on the out- 
lying ranges and when cattle had become fat and saucy, 
Mr. Ellis planned one morning, to do some team-work 
with his oxen. So, he kept them in his lot while the herd 
went oflf east some two miles or more to graze. After 
breakfast as he was yoking the ofif ox, the other one broke 



THE STORY OF NEVIN. 95 

away and ran to the herd. His owner followed him there 
and mounted his back astride, and with occasional well- 
laid-on whacks from his cane to the sides of the ox, rode 
at a full run all the way home, unharmed, the observed of 
all within sis^ht. 



A TRIP TO GRAND RIVER. 

During the first days of September, 1861, some of the 
Yankee colony people planned a plumming expedition to 
northeast Adair county. Mr. G. White owned a pair of 
small and rather wild stag oxen. One fine sunny morning 
Mr. White yoked up his bovines and, with farm wagon 
properly fixed, took on board as passengers Mrs. Fanny 
White and their two children, Edith and Fannie; Mrs. Ellis 
and son Walter; Mrs. Harriett Buell and Miss Mary Steph- 
enson and then started out. There were but few roads or 
trails and fewer bridges on the route. Mr. White had a 
strong rope attached to the stubby horns of the near ox, 
so that the team could be restrained from running away on 
going down some decline. The party was jolly and had 
much fun on the way. Along about dark, they arrived 
safely at the house of their friends, Mr. Job R. Pierce and 
his wife, Ruth, who had been Nevin residents a year or so 
before. Here they spent the night. "Job and Ruth" felt 
themselves much honored by the visit and did their level 
best to entertain their friends from Nevin. After Ruth had 
baked fresh biscuit they had supper, then they all hunted 
for a place to sleep. The house was small and had only 
two beds. Mrs. White and Mrs. Ellis with their three 
children were given one bed; Mr. White and Mr. Pierce 
were alloted the other. Mrs. Pierce, Mrs. Buell and Mary 
Stephenson were to sleep on the floor. It was agreed among 
them that the first to get up in the morning were to have 
choice of the shoes and stockings of the crowd. For break- 
fast another special effort of Job and Ruth furnished the 
best of fried chicken with warm bread and honey. After 
the breakfast things were cleared away they had a ramble 
through Mr. Pierce's garden, which contained choice trees 
and fruit-bearing shrubbery. After this Mr. Pierce yoked 
up his oxen and with wagon took the whole company to 
the wild plum orchards on the banks of Grand river, sev- 
eral miles away. They had a glorious outing in many 
ways. Considerable quantities of plums were found. The 
women and children diverted themselves in bathing, wading 



96 THE STORY OF WEVIN. 

and paddling with naked feet in the river. Then they all 
went back to Mr. Pierce's to spend the night. 

Along towards bed time they were aroused by the 
stentorian "yell" of Mr. Ellis, just across a small stream 
twenty rods off. lie had just arrived from Nevin with his 
ox team and had with him Miss Adelia Jewett and Miss 
Mary Buell as passengers. After supper for the new comers 
and late in the night, they all found places to sleep some- 
where. The next day in the afternoon the rejuvenated Nevin- 
ites bid good bye to the Pierces, and drove home by 
the same route that they had taken in going out. It was 
more than one generation before that happy outing to 
Grand river ceased to be talked about. 



A MISTAKE IN HORSES. 

Mr. Beath and his wife had for their first dwelling in 
Nevin, a small composite structure, part shop and part 
living room. He kept a horse over winter, 1859-60, which 
he sometimes let a neighbor have to ride to neighboring 
villages. Mr. Beath tells the following story in connection 
with his horse: "Mr. Ellis, living not twenty rods off, had 
not as yet risen to the distinction of being a horse owner; 
so, one day in March, i860, wishing to do some business at 
the county seat, he borrowed my horse to ride there and 
back. Arriving at Quincy he put the horse in a feed stable 
hanging the saddle and bridle on a peg just behind the 
norse. After finishing his business of the day he, towards 
dark, repaired to the stable to get his horse to ride home. 
He took down the saddle and bridle from the peg where 
he had hung them and placed them on the horse tied in 
front of them where he had tied his horse at noon time. 
Then he mounted the horse and rode home, nearly eighteen 
miles, put the beast into my stable late in the evening and 
himself went home and to bed. 

"Next morning on going to the stable to care for my 
equine, I discovered that the horse in the stable was not 
mine and hastened across lots to Mr. Ellis for an explana- 
tion. My friend and I hurried back to see what was the 
matter. And, sure enough, tJiot horse was not mine; for 
mine did not have the hair worn off his sides (tug marks) 
as this horse had. So, with considerable chagrin, Mr. Ellis, 
after breakfast mounted the strange horse and retraced his 
way towards Quincy to find out how the mistake had hap- 
pened. About half way there he met a man riding my horse 



THE STORY OF NEVIN. 97 

towards Nevin. After mutual explanations they exchanged 
horses each then returning to his home. 

"It seemed that during the afternoon the stable keeper 
had exchanged the stalls of these two horses and had neg- 
lected to exchange pegs for their accountrements. And Mr. 
Ellis, in his hurry to get started homeward, took the right 
saddle and bridle, but mistakingly the wrong horse, not 
noticing the difference until the next morning at my place." 



A WHISKY PEDDLER'S ESCAPE. 

One day in the summer of 1862 a man from Winter- 
set, driving a one-horse rig, having on board a barrel of 
"O-be-joyful" was seen coming into the village and stop- 
ping on the main street east of the common. The man was 
soon seen hurrying about from door to door as if he Was 
peddling something. Men were observed coming briskly 
from both directions, one with a jug in his hand. The 
peddler had succeeded in selling a gallon to John Bixby, 
living on a near corner and another man was coming on the 
run when the fun was interrupted by the appearance upon 
the scene of Mr. Ellis, the prohibition justice of the peace. He 
protested against such violation of the law, threatening the 
peddler with arrest and went home to fill out the proper 
paper for the constable. While so doing the people stand- 
ing near advised the peddler to be on the move. So he 
climbed into his conveyance at once, headed back towards 
Winterset with all speed, and was soon out of sight, look- 
ing back furtively every few minutes to see if the constable 
was coming. About an hour later a traveler coming from 
that direction reported in the village his passing the ped- 
dler three or four miles out, and that he was still on the 
full run, his horse white with foam in his endeavor to get 
beyond danger of arrest and the loss of his whisky. 

Now, bystander remarks, that the reader must not 
think from the foregoing sale of whisky, that Nevin set- 
tlers were ever given to saloon habits. The opposite was 
always the fact; there never to this day was a saloon there. 
The people were very temperate and nearly every one 
among them was free from the tobacco habit as well. 



TO DES MOINES IN WINTER. 

Mr. Ellis himself relates the following account of a 
certain trip he made to the state capital, in December, 
7 



98 THE STORY OF NEVIN. 

1867: "At this period I had sold my former ox teams 
and was the possessor of a pair of young mules. Wheat 
was worth about $1.50 per bushel in Des Moines, and there 
was profit in buying Adams county wheat at $1.10 per 
bushel and hauling it there. On this particular trip I had 
on a load of thirty bushels in bulk or loose. I had gotten to 
within ten miles of Des Moines and it was nearly night. 
The roads were firm and there was hard snow in some 
places along the route. But the mules had no shoes; so 
that in going down a certain hill it was supposed that the 
load would acquire sufficient momentum to carry it (with 
the mules' help) up the close succeeding sharp snowy rise. 
This it failed to do; when almost up the hill the mules feet 
began to slip; then they had to stop, and at once the whole 
thing began to go backwards and then oft. to one side down 
a steep bank covered with snow, towards a bend in the near- 
by stream. The wagon was turned over bottom side up; 
spilling all the wheat into the snow, some of it running 
down almost to the water. Luckily, neither wagon nor 
mules were damaged. 

"Night was now fast approaching, the sky was over- 
cast and threatened snow soon. There was no house in 
sight. I had neither grain-sacks nor half bushel measure 
with which to gather up the wheat. However, I turned 
the wagon right side up and drove the team to the top of the 
rise in the road and left them standing while I went on 
ahead to hunt for a house, where I might borrow some 
sacks and a half bushel measure. Finding at a farm house 
the needed things, I came back and gathered and carried the 
most of the spilled wheat up the river bank and up the hill 
rise to the wagon. Then drove on to a farm house just as 
darkness came, where the folks kept me and the team over 
night. 

"Two days later, just after dark, as I, near to Win- 
terset on my way home with a big load of plows for Mr. 
Bugbee of Quincy, was crossing a new and hastily graded 
bridge I met with another bad accident. The hind wheels 
as they passed oflf the planking dropped so hard to the 
lower ground that the axeltree was snapped short ofT. The 
consequences may be imagined. However, I borrowed 
another wagon, loaded the plows therein and drove that 
night to Winterest." 



THE STORY OF NEVIN. 99 

MILITIA. 

On the 2nd of June, 1861, the "Colony Guards," a local 
volunteer company of men, was formed for home protection 
in Nevin only. There were no arms, nor was there any 
drilling. 

On November 9th, 1861, the First regiment of Adams 
county was organized at Quincy. Colony township was 
liberally represented. Mr. John Bixby was chosen colonel. 
There was no arms nor any drilling. 

September 2nd, 1862, was the date of the formation of 
the "Home Guards," at Nevin. Mr. Lloyd was drillmaster. 
The company had one muster at Carl and another at Mt. 
Etna. These village musters were followed by a battalion 
formation at Quincy nearly a month later. 

The Adams county militia company was formed at 
Quincy on March 21st, 1863. Mr. E. Y. Burgan was chosen 
captain and Mr. John Bixby lieutenant. The membership 
was over one hundred men includiiig men from Colony 
township and other county points. They were all sworn to 
unconditional loyalty. There were forty Harpers Ferry 
muskets and a few rounds of ammunition distributed. Some 
more muskets were expected after a few weeks. There 
were six or more meetings for drill in August and Sep- 
tember. 



PASSING OF THE NEW ENGLAND HOUSE. 

Mr. B. O. Stephenson the original manager of the 
New England House, was succeeded therein by Mr. Nel- 
son Finney, who, with his big family, moved into it in 
October, 1866. Mr. Finney operated the hotel until March, 
1868, when he sold the property to Mr. Frank Guymon, of 
Madison county, in exchange for land there. Mr. Guymon 
(who, by the way, proved to be the "advance guard" of the 
anti- Yankee party in the place, that developed later on) 
conducted the house as a hotel until about 1878, when he 
sold out to Dr. J. J. Henry, recently from California. Soon 
after this the business of hotel keeping was transferred to 
the Jewett home place. 

The old two-story building on the corner of Franklin 
and Main streets still stands there, occupied by Mr. Reed; 
looking much as it did in days of old, — minus the paint and 
the old sign of "New England House." 



L.cfC. 



100 THE STORY OF NEVIN. 

The Finneys went to Winterseet and the Guymons to 
Missouri. 

That old Turner- Stephenson store building that Mr. 
Nichols in 1857, built on Main street, disappeared in 1865, 
having been hauled to the Wilmarth-Long-Bartlett farm. 



OLD SETTLERS ASSOCIATION. 

On the 7th of June, 1872, the 15th anniversary of the 
wedding of Mr. and Mrs. Ellis, the old settlers of Nevin 
and vicinity, on the invitation of Mr. and Mrs. Ellis, had a 
pleasant afternoon gathering at the Ellis home in Nevin. 
After having a good anniversary dinner together they 
proceeded to organize an "Old Settlers Association." They 
chose Mr. P. P. Chamberlain, president; Mr. J. Jewett, 
vice president; G. W. Grant, secretary, and J. L. Ellis, B. 
O. Stephenson and A. T. Harlow, committee for the next 
gathering. They voted to meet again the second Thursday 
in June, 1873. They also decided to admit to membership 
persons 21 years of age living within or near Nevin, who 
settled previous to the close of 1863. The following per- 
sons then became members: 

Mr. and Mrs. P. P. Chamberlain, Mr. and Mrs. J. 
Jewett, Mr. and Mrs. G. W. Grant, Mr. and Mrs. B. O. 
Stephenson, Mr. and Mrs. J. L. Ellis, Mr. and Mrs. J. C. 
Whipple, Mr. and Mrs. A. T. Harlow, Mr. and Mrs. E. 
Sawyer, Mr. andl Mrs. A. M. Norman, Mr. and Mrs. R. 
Hargrave, Mr. and Mrs. H. Whipple, Mr. and Mrs. I. A. 
Sprague, Mr. and Mrs. S. Southall and Mr. J. McDougall. 

The association met the following year in Mr. J. Jewett's 
young maple grove just northeast of his house. The day 
was beautiful. They had a bounteous spread-on-table 
dinner together. There was a proper literary program also, 
but the present writer has no record of it. 



NEVIN SOLDIER BOYS. 

The civil war was on soon after the Yankees had gotten 
their colony settlement well started. They were all loyal 
to the Union cause. The following young men of Nevin 
served in the volunteer army of "Uncle Sam": William R. 
Harlow. Abram Hubbard. Edwin Sawyer, Andrew Garrett, 
Joseph Ballou, George Atkins, David McDougall, Lorenzo 



THE STORY OF NEVIN. loi 

Finney and Alonzo Finney. Mr. E. Sawyer and Mr. G. 
Atkins were the only married ones. Mr. McDougall and Mr. 
Atkins died in the army and Mr. Garrett died soon after 
his return from disease contracted while in the army. The 
others all returned and as far as the writer knows, they 
are all alive yet. 

In February, 1864, when the last call was abroad for 
volunteers, Colony township was one man short of its 
quota. Bounties at this period were frequent and were 
freely paid to those who would enlist to make up dificien- 
cies. While several men in the place having wives and 
children, were weighing the question of their enlisting, 
Mr. N. Finney's twin sons, Alonzo and Lorenzo, aged about 
17 years, oflfered to enlist, if the men of the place would 
raise them a bounty of $150. This was done the next day 
and so the two Finney boys went. 



METHODIST CLASS— BRAZEE MEETINGS. 

A Methodist class was first formed in Nevin on Mon- 
day, December 4th, 1865, following a few days of special 
meetings in the little red school house, east of the com- 
mon, conducted by Rev. Sheets from Quincy. The follow- 
ing persons were the members: Mr. and Mrs. N. Finney, 
Mr. and Mrs. E. Sawyer, Mr. and Mrs. M. Covey, Mrs. 
Nancy Jewett, Mrs. W. Hardesty and Mr. G. W. Grant. 
Mr. Grant was made class leader. 

In March, 1866, Rev. Brazee, Methodist, held a series 
of special revival meetings at the same place; resulting in 
many conversions and additions to the two churches. 
Messrs. Stephenson, McDougall and Ellis were among 
them. 



THE DICKINSON REVIVAL. 

During the first week in March, 1870, Rev. E. Dickin- 
son, Presbyterian, of Winterset, under the auspices of the 
Nevin Congregational church, closed a twelve days' series 
of special meetings in the just completed school house south 
of the common. There were forty conversions and there 
were about fifteen new family altars set up; resulting from 
the meetings. Mention is made of Mr. Daniel Whipple, who 
was so much interested that early one morning he called on 



102 THE STORY OF NEVIN. 

some of his unconverted neighbors urging them to a re- 
Hgious Hfe. And, of Mr. Richard Hargrave who went for- 
ward one evening and declared himself for the "new life," 
and who when he arrived home that night requested his 
wife Mary, to rise from bed to join with him in having 
family worship before retiring for the night. 

Many of the converts united with the Congregational 
church and some with the Methodist during the spring 
months. 

Before all had been gathered into the local churches a 
certain preacher-lawyer (his name is now forgotten) from 
Prescott, Slaving heard (through Mr. Guymon, or other- 
wise), of the recent revival meetings in Nevin, made his ap- 
pearance in the village one Saturday in June, putting up at 
Mr. Guymon's hotel. It very soon became evident that 
the man was after the remaining converts as a nucleus to 
form a Campbellite church in the place. Mr. Goymon was 
apparently favorable to the Prescott man's views, and so 
they, it would seem, planned to capture the use of the school 
house the following forenoon. 

Rev. Robert Hunter, the Congregational pastor, had 
his regular appointment to preach in the school house at 
10:30 o'clock. But notwithstanding this Mr. Guymon and 
his friend sent word all over the place that the new man 
would preach at the school house at p o'clock the next morn- 
ing. The Sunday came, and at his appointed hour the 
Prescott preacher had a good sized audience. At 10:30 it 
became evident to the Hunter people who had gathered 
near the door that the new preacher was intending to con- 
tinue his meeting right along, without any regard to the 
other people waiting outside. 

A short conference was held to decide what to do un- 
der the unlookedfor circumstances. They decided to hold 
their meeting at Mr. Ellis's house in case the lawyer de- 
cided to "hold the fort." Mr. Ellis, a deacon of the church, 
and Capt. Miner, a member of the school board, were sent 
inside to find out the plans of the preaching man. The 
two men went in and stood near the preacher, indicating by 
their posture that they wished to speak to him; but no! 
he kept right on with his business and gave no apparent 
attention to the standing men. Finally seeing that they 
waited still he paused long enough to enable the committee 
to make known their mission and then, after denying their 
request, he resumed his discourse. The deacon, who was 
spokesman for the two, then announced to the audience that 



THE STORY OF NEVIN. 103 

Rev. Hunter's meeting was to be held at once at Mr. Ellis's, 
and then stretching his hand over the speaker's table he 
took the old church Bible under his arm and the two passed 
out and were followed by about half the man's audience. 
The Rev. Hunter had a good audience that Sunday in the 
house and front yard of the Ellis home. 

The writer of this is not aware that the lawyer ever 
again preached in a Nevin school house. He was, however, 
back to Nevin at least twice after that; once when he im- 
mersed Mr. Frank Guymon in a small pond then south of 
the cemetery, and at another time when he immersed Mr. 
David Whipple in the stream at South grove. 



CHURCH BUILDINGS AND PARSONAGES. 

The Congregational church building was erected on the 
site west of the common, the site of the school house that 
was burned down on February 19th, 1864. The edifice 
was dedicated on Thanksgiving day, November 26, 1874. 
The sermon was preached by Rev. N. M. Calhoun. His 
text was First Samuel, 7:12. 

The Methodist church building was built on the south- 
west corner of block L, and fronting on Spruce street. It 
was dedicated on Sunday, September 4th, 1881. Rev. Jud- 
son Harris, Baptist, then visiting in Nevin, preached the 
sermon. Rev. C. C. Mabie, now of Des Moines, was the 
first Methodist supply following the opening of the new 
sanctuary. 

The Methodist parsonage on Spruce street was built 
during the fall of 1877, under direction of Rev. Blodgett, 
and was first occupied by Rev. Clammer and family. 

The Congregational parsonage was completed in the 
fall of 1878, under direction of Rev. Herman Geer, then act- 
ing pastor of the church at Nevin. 



ORDINATIONS. 



Mr. Andrew W. Archibald, recently graduated from 
Divinity School at New Haven, came with his newly- 
married wife to Nevin, on the 14th day of July, 1876. He 
was ordained a minister and was installed pastor of the 
Congregational church by a council held in Nevin on the 
24th of August, 1876. 



104 THE STORY oF NEVIN. 

Mr. Gurney M. Orvis, a New Haven graduate, was 
ordained a minister by a council held in Nevin Congre- 
gational church on December i6th, 1880. 



SOME MINISTERS. 



Rev. I. S. Davis departed this life November 24th, 
1864 — as mentioned elsewhere, and his body lies buried on 
the Davis brothers' farm in Adair county. His widow died 
there many years ago, aged about 84 years. She too, was 
buried there. Their old bachelor sons, Ebenezer and 
Thomas, are still living on the old farm. 

Rev. Robert Hunter, a home missionary for twenty- 
five years, first in Illinois then in Iowa, died on the nth 
day of March, 1872, after being pastor of the Nevin Con- 
gregational church five years. His body rests in the 
quietude of Rose Hill cemetery. His widow, Harriett 
Plumb, is still living, making her home with the family of 
their son, Ralph P. Hunter, in Utah, these late years. Julius 
R., their only other son living, has a wife and children. 
He is living just at present in western Nebraska. 

Rev. John Conrad is another minister whose body is 
laid away in Rose Hill. His last charge was that of the 
Methodist church and class at Nevin or Nevinville, about a 
dozen years ago. He died there, April 17th, 1895, leaving 
a widow and about seven children. Most of the children are 
married. All scattered. 

Rev. Josiah W. Peet, was a missionary, who with his 
family left their eastern home and came to Adair county 
about the time that Rev. R. Hunter came to Nevin. He 
was a home missionary in that county a number of years. 
In 1869 he bought the Dr. Shaw 212 acres of Nevin land 
at the price of $1,000. He moved to the 160-acre lot next 
south from the Austin farm, where their son George 
farmed. In later years George's extended farm was sold, 
and both families moved to Jones county, where Josiah 
and George both died, some six or eight years ago. The 
aged widow died in Corning in 1898. Their other son, 
William W., and his wife and son are living in Constantino- 
ple, Turkey, where he has for many years been the financial 
agent of the American Board of Foreign Missions. 



THE STORY OF NEVIN. 105 

STREETS AND LANDMARKS. 

There were over eleven miles of laid out streets within 
the central 360 acres of the 1857 plat of Nevin. On page 
412, record of the doings of the Adams county board of 
supervisors, may be found their action in January, 1872, on 
a petition from Nevin land owners in regard to Nevin 
streets. The two principal parallel streets, — one next east 
of the common and the other next west were changed by 
the vacation of twenty rods of the south end of the first men- 
tioned street and by extending it forty rods farther north, 
calling it Main street. The street west of the common was 
extended forty rods in each direction, and it was called 
Spruce street. Some other streets were named, such as: 
Franklin, Centre, Park, School, Spring, Maple, Elm and 
Willow; but the most of the original streets were then va- 
cated. 

It was on this Main street that the New England 
House and the Turner-Stephenson store were built. The 
places of business are there today — 1901. 

Spruce street is where Mr. Ellis built his pioneer Nevin 
dwelling. It, in its later remodeled form, and the two 
village churches, are there today. And it may further be 
remarked that on this Spruce street and just south of the 
Congregational church are other landmarks of the pioneer 
days; several cottonwood trees set there in 1859. The 
north one was set out by Mr. Beath, it is the largest tree 
trunk in Nevin, measuring 9 2-3 feet around the body, four 
feet above the ground. 



NEVIN— NEVINVILLE. 

The original Nevin land all passed into improved farms 
many years ago. There are at the present time ninety fam- 
ilies living within its old boundaries; nearly all of whom are 
farmers. The village proper is small, it has one or more 
stores and has other business places. A. T. Joy & Co., do 
the largest business and are long standing. 

The two railroads that the Boston "boomers" of 1856 
promised never materialized. But there are railroad stations 
all around, the one at Spaulding is seven miles east, the 
one at Cromwell is ten miles south, and the one at Green- 
field is ten miles north. 

The place itself is now generally better known as 
Nevinville than as Nevin. 



io6 THE STORY OF NEVIN. 

Its former distinguishing character as being eminently 
a "New England" settlement has long since passed away. 



AUNT "SARAH'S" PROPHECY. 

Time, on its pinions swiftly flying, 
Leaves us poor mortals vainly sighing 
That, one by one our friends are leaving, 
And no recruits are we receiving. 

'Tis thus it's been from first to last, 
Our numbers have been failing fast. 
And, should this course continue on, 
Our neighbors soon will all be gone. - 

"And what of that?" says one stuck-fast, 
Just let them go, nor be downcast; 
This place is not to be forsaken; 
I know I can't be thus mistaken. 

I am disgusted with this whining, — 
This everlastingly repining. 
Just see how fast our stock increases; 
Then note our flocks with weighty fleeces. 

And corn and wheat in such a measure 
There's hardly room to store the treasure ;- 
Our farmers here are making money. 
As sure as bees are storing honey. 

Then there's mechanics not a few, 
In barrels, wagons, boot and shoe, 
There comes the man in iron skilled, 
Proposing well his place to fill. 

Then the cabinet makers art 

By one prepared will claim its part. 

Then the traders, they step in. 

Who, trade they must, to lose or win. 

And, if they cannot trade for money. 
Horse, or cow, will trade for pony; 
And then, forsooth, as in a dream, 
You'll see a cracky pony team. 



THE STORY OF NEVIN. 107 

And now, to clear away the fog, 
We'll introduce our Pedagogue. 
There he sits with rule in hand, 
And all must bow at his command. 

And if they chance to say a pin, 
To 'tone for it they must stay in, 
No rude behavior is allowed 
By old or young among the crowd. 

But study, diligence and grace 
Must mark the lines of every face. 
At once they read, at once they sing, 
And make the dome with echoes ring. 

Indeed! our school is quite a prize. 
As no wise person e'er denies. 
Our pastor next; oh, what a gem! 
His head deserves a diadem. 

With dignity and Christian grace 
Beams every feature of his face. 
His life is purer far than gold; 
His many virtues can't be told. 

And, after all, there's those who say 

That this bright town shall pass away 

And all its prospects come to naught. 

These lands lie waste? Preposterous thought! 

These lands will rise; / see the day 
When purchasers will croivd the way, 
Till ev'ry man shall hless the hand 
That ever sold him Ncvin land. 



AULD LANG SYNE. 

Full forty years have rolled their rounds, 
Nor has the time seemed long. 

Yet we propose to change our tune 
And sing another song. 

But, lest you weary of our rhymes. 
Long time before we're done. 

We purpose to consolidate 
These forty years — in one. 



io8 THE STORY OF NEVIN. 

And dedicate our humble verse, 
For the love of Auld Lang Syne, 

To dear, old friends we'll meet no more 
Upon the shores of time. 

And tho' for lack of time and space, 
Your name may not appear, 

Like balm, your memory to my heart 
Is ever fresh and dear. 

Come, Theresa, put your bonnet on 

And go along w^ith me; 
So many things a woman finds, 

A man would never see. 

We'll out and "do" this famous town, 
And see the wondrous sights — 

The foot-prints of these forty years 
Among the "Nevinites." 

And while we roam the prairies o'er, 

We may expect to see 
The vine clad cot of which we've heard — 

The home of Rosalie. 

And we shall find each latch string out — 
No bell upon the door — 
A welcome, too, in ev'ry home. 

As in the days of yore. 

Old friends, we're glad to meet again 

And to recall the past — 
The scenes we never shall forget 

As long as life shall last. 

In all the rounds of daily toil, 

We're with you, yet again; 
If turning o'er the prairie soil, 

Or binding golden grain. 

At service, on the Holy day. 
We're glad to meet you there 

Where in the school house oft we stay, 
When churches were not there. 



THE STORY OF NEVIN. 109 

The pleasure of that sacred hour, 

Our rhmyes will fail to tell, 
When from the spire of "Daniel's" church 

Pealed forth the Sabbath bell. 

The hungry cattle roam the hills, 

The herdsman's task begun; 
The faithful shepherd leads his flocks 

The tender grasses 'mong. 

The flocks and herds are coming in, 

While sinks the golden sun. 
So Peter, Ed and Dick and Dan, 

Your task will soon be done. 

Our tribute now, to sunny June, — 

The season bright and fair; 
The prairies wide in verdure clad; 

There's beauty everywhere. 

Full soon, the months of roses past, 

The glorious 4th draws nigh; 
For liberty we'll raise the mast. 

And run "Old Glory" high. 

We're bound to celebrate the day, 

Tho' nothing else be done; 
No doubt 'twill make a lively lay 

To crowd two-score in one. 

In coming years, the trees will grow; 

But now we need their shade; 
So, to the neighboring groves we go. 

And booths of boughs are made. 

Now Nevin's cooks were always known 

To be beyond surprise; 
Today the tables creak and groan 

'Neath tarts and cakes and pies. 

It is not fair to mention one, 

When all have done their best; 
And ev'ry 4th your zeal's been shown — 

And each a grand success. 



no THE STORY OF NEVIN. 

Although one day, the women folks 

And children got a scare, 
When John came out in Indian guise, 

But, luckly, — Joe was there! 

A fierce encounter now ensued. 
But soon the job was done; 

The burly savage was subdued. 
And the Deacon had his gun. 

Then Hutchings and the parson's wife 

Inspired us all with song — 
Those aged folks seem'd come to life 

You'll all remember long. 

And this was what they sang: 

"The morning sun shines from the east 
And spreads his glories to the west; 

All nations with his beams are blest. 
Where'er his radiant light appears." 

So science spreads her lucid rays 

O'er lands which long in darkness lays; 

She visits fair "Columbia" 

And sets her sons among the stars. 

The British yoke, the galling chain. 
Was urged upon her sons in vain; 

All haughty tyrants we'll disdain, 
And shout "Long live America." 

"The Eagle" took an airy flight 
One day, with Brother Hugh; 

He bore him far above the clouds — 
Up where the sky was blue. 

Soon down he came with mighty thud; 

And "Deacon" sitting by, 
Most kindly proffered him his jug, 

For he thought he must be "dry." 

Now, Nancy, get your hood and shawl. 
To the school house we'll repair — 

To lyceum and the Farmer's club; 
There's great enjoyment there. 



THE STORY OF NEVIN. iii 

Some weighty questions are discussed — 

Some grand decisions made; 
Their hterary talent throws 

Old Boston in the shade. 

Here men of thought, and matrons grave, 

And youth and maidens, too, 
All join to help the program out, 

With something fresh and new. 

Their spicy papers and essays 

Create a "heap" of fun. 
Then the debaters take the floor, 

And something's said and done. 

And you a novice on the farm? 

Why, they can tell you how — 
Anything you want to raise, 

From mortgage to a cow. 

From the Nevin lyceum has gone out 

An influence good and great, 
And better makes the world today, 

In home, in church, and state. 

We owe a debt of gratitude — 

The aged and the youth — 
To those who early brought to us 

The messages of truth. 

Some rest in Rose Hill's calm retreat — 

They've passed to their reward. 
And others, from our midst gone forth. 

To bear the precious word. 

The joys of friendly intercourse 

In early days we had. 
Remember we those pleasant things, 

And some that make us sad. 

The class we taught in Sabbath school 

Is scattered far and wide; 
Some struggling in the conflict still. 

And some beyond the "tide." 



THE STORY OF NEVIN. 

Now dear old friend of "early times," 

We close our faulty rhmyes, 
But know you never can forget 

The days of Auld Lang Syne. 

— G. W. G. 



CONTENTS. 



Chapter I, 1855-1856. 

The Parson's Vacation 5 

Land Speculation 6 

Getting the Land 8 

Planning the City g 

A Journey West 10 

Trials and Labors 13 

Trying to Farm 14 

Building a School-house 16 

A Thunder Storm 17 

New Arrivals 17 

Discouragements 18 

Surveying the Land 19 

Colonists Scattered 20 

Prairie Fires 20 

Chapter U. 1856-1857. 

Building Saw-Mills 21 

An Anti-Slavery Recruit 24 

The Great Snow-storm 25 

Mr. Turner's Visit 27 

Wintering at the Mill 29 

A Queer Accident 30 

A Pioneer Cabin 30 

Lo! Spring Approaches 31 

Spring Doings 32 

Laying Out the Town 34 

Chapter IIL 1857. 

Re-enforcements 35 

An Attempted Rivalry 37 

Settling the Town ^7 

A Maiden from Boston 38 

Getting Married 39 

New Colonists 41 

home Making 43 

July 4th, 1857 44 

Nichols, Jones and Fales 44 

1857 Farming 44 

Harris and Stephenson Get Farms 45 

A Blue Streak 46 

The Mill Property 47 

Religious Meetings 48 

Early County Roads 48 



CONTENTS. 

Turner and Smith in Nevin 49 

Passing of the Mill 50 

Digging of Wells 51 

Hotel and Store 51 

M. J. Hazeltine 52 

Richard Sells to Alvin 52 

First Bridge 52 

A Matron from Boston 53 

A Sudden Death 53 

Thanksgiving, 1857 53 

New England House Occupied 53 

Underground Railroad 54 

Cemetery and College Lots 55 

Kenada Timber 56 

Chapter IV, 1858. 

The Fuel Question 57 

Colony Township Organized .- 58 

A Surprise Party 58 

Amasa Child 59 

Early Births 59 

The Harlows 60 

The Chamberlains 61 

Coming of the Jewetts 62 

Mr. Turner's Steamboat 62 

A Lawsuit 63 

Religious Meetings Resumed 64 

First School in Nevin 65 

Rev. N. Harris's Visit 65 

White— Mason 65 

Hoskins Family 66 

Nevinville Postoffice 67 

Ten New Comers 67 

Independence Day. 67 

A License to Marry 68 

The Beaths 70 

Uncle Mack 70 

"Sir" Richard 71 

The Congregational Church 71 

The Harris's 72 

Carl and Hebron 72 

An Honest Dutchman 73 

First Fair at Quincy 74 

Mr. Lawrence's Whale 75 

Farming and Crops in 1858 75 

First Bricks 76 

Job and Ruth 76 

The Party at Atkin's and Pratt's — A Poem 76 

Stray Items 77 

Chapter V. 1859 and Later. 

Literary Societies 79 

Mrs. Norman's Letter 79 

Grant and Sawyer 81 



CONTENTS. 

Dr. Taylor 82 

The Deacon's Sheep 83 

Alexander 84 

Crops in 1859 84 

Church Conference 85 

The Fair of 1859 85 

The Southalls 86 

Three Whipple Brothers 87 

The Spragues 88 

Atkins Brothers 89 

Contrabands 89 

The Buell Family 90 

The John Bixbys 90 

Austin — Ballon 91 

Jewett — Bugbee 91 

Stephenson — Color-line 92 

The Ellis Family 93 

The Great Tornado 94 

A Bovine Ride 94 

A Trip to Grand River 95 

A Mistake in Horses 96 

A Whisky Peddler's Escape 97 

To Des Moines in Winter 97 

Militia 99 

Passing of the New England House 99 

Old Settlers Association 100 

Nevin Soldier Boys 100 

Methodist Class — Brazee Meetings loi 

The Dickenson Revival loi 

Church Buildings and Parsonages 103 

Ordinations 103 

Some Ministers 104 

Streets and Landmarks 105 

Nevin — Nevinville 105 

Mrs. Chamberlain's Poem 106 

Auld Lang Syne — A Poem 107 



Atig li- '^QOl 



AUG 10 1901 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



016 085 014 0# 



